She was the talk of the town, especially in the first few days after the results for access to higher education came out, because she had an average of 20 points and with that, the doors of every university and course were open to her. However, Maria Sykes, 18, explained the reasons that led her to choose the Faculty of Medicine of Lisbon, FMUL: "I've always had good references and I've built up a good image" of this campus.
Curious by nature, she soon developed a taste for detailed tasks. She vividly remembers the day her parents gave her a kit to make sutures, or the afternoons she spent in the library voraciously leafing through books, but with special dedication to the "ABC of Health", where she would get out difficult words to question her family members with.
Divided between various activities, "I've always liked to have my time occupied", she excelled in Taekwondo and was a member of the National Team. She learned the piano and completed her studies at Cambridge School. She was also a volunteer for the international organization Pressley Ridge, where she helped children from underprivileged neighbourhoods with their schoolwork.
She says she's not a person of affection, but the emotion on the children's faces the day she said goodbye made her realize that small gestures can make all the difference in other people's lives. And that's how the spirit of mission grew stronger and medicine began to make more and more sense.
Maria Sykes is one of the 295 students who entered FMUL this year. Like her, when asked, 257 said this was their first choice. Prestige and the fact that it is located on a multidisciplinary and very fertile campus, with the Hospital de Santa Maria and the iMM, are the reasons given for their choice.
As far as entrance grades are concerned, 20 and 17.95 are the values that separate the first from the last student. High averages, which imply a lot of study and dedication. The next six years will be spent here, among many different subjects and challenges. We wish you all the best of luck.
