Student Profile: Etienne Wolmarans                                                                     Click for additional Student Profiles

HOMETOWN: Orlando, FL, but originally, Johannesburg, South Africa, for 16 years.

IN HIGH SCHOOL: I was an okay student, but a lazy one--I preferred not to do work.  I enjoyed going to parties and hanging out with my friends instead of working.

HEARD ABOUT BA: My dad found it on the Internet while looking for a postgraduate year.  I wanted to take a year off, to do something different before going to college to prepare me, not just to go there and hope to pass.  In South Africa, we call it a gap year.  It's just like taking year off and doing something that you would not do usually.  Bridgton popped up, and my dad asked me if I wanted to try it.  I had a choice between going here or to the University of Florida, so I chose to come here to get ready for college.

GOALS AT BA: To get into a regular routine where I am more motivated to work rather than play, to find a balance between play and work.

BA IS DIFFERENT FROM HIGH SCHOOL: It's all boys, which was probably the hardest part of the decision to come, but it's actually more relaxed.  BA is structured, but I used to have a block schedule so my classes were really long. I had four classes a day for two hours each, so the 50-minute classes here work perfect.  I can focus better.  BA has given me the will to actually do something with the open time I have. Also, my high school was 5,000 kids, with 30 kids in each class.  I like the small classes here.  It's more one-on-one, whereas high school was a free for all.

BEST ABOUT BA: It has gotten me into a regular routine that makes me work more instead of play, as I usually did.  Now, I'm more focused on school.  I also like study hall a lot because it gets me doing my work.

WORST THING ABOUT BA: The location, but if BA were in a city, it wouldn't be as successful as it is; being in a small town narrows down what you can do outside of school, so that definitely gets you more involved in work and sports. 

ACTIVITIES AT BA: Tennis and rugby.

OUTSIDE OF BA: Drawing, and listening to music.  I'm planning on studying civil engineering, so I like drawing buildings and stuff like that in pencil. 

ROLE MODEL: My dad because of his hard work and success.  He has a construction company. 

FAVORITE BOOK:  Enders Game by Orson Scott Card, one of the few books I've actually read, and I enjoyed it.

FAVORITE MOVIES: Blood Diamond.  It shows you what Africa was like.

FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM: I follow the Springboks, a South African rugby team, and Florida football, because my brother goes there. 

FAVORITE MUSIC: Everything…European music, South African music, rap.

FRIENDS WOULD BE SURPRISED TO KNOW: The travel I have done and what I've seen in the world.  I speak German, so my dad sent me to a summer school in Germany every year.  German is related to Afrikaans, my native language.  I also went to a British boarding school in South Africa for two years before coming here, and that's where I learned English.

BA PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS SHOULD KNOW: First of all, it's a hard decision to make—it's not the norm, it's not the easy decision, but it is the right one.  It depends on what you put in it, so what you put in is what you get out.  And if you use it the way you are supposed to use it, you will come out on top.

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