Most teenagers heading to university can't wait to start a life of parties and independence. But 14-year-old Hjalmar Rall‚ who starts studying for his bachelor’s degree on Monday‚ only has thoughts of science.
The boy from Riebeek Kasteel in the Western Cape will be studying towards a BSc Physics degree at the University of Pretoria (UP)‚ which he believes is the “best there is”. Hjalmar is excited to start his new journey and cannot wait to be among his new study mates.
"I want to ask even bigger questions and find out what else there is to do‚ particularly in theoretical physics and astrophysics‚" he said.
The teenager‚ who was home-schooled by his father‚ Heinrich‚ started the high school curriculum three years early and was elated to pass his A-levels - the UK equivalent of matric - last year. Quoting a character from Alice in Wonderland he said it was an “oh frubjous day‚ caloo‚ calay”.
He told TMG Digital his curiosity had always been piqued by the world of science. “Our family discussed the universe at home since I can remember. I was fortunate in that I grew up in a place where we could see the stars at night. A BSc will help me answer all the questions that were raised by staring into space.”
Hjalmar said that he was overwhelmed by his strong academic performance but was also excited at the prospect of moving to Pretoria with his family. When he is not hitting the books‚ Hjalmar enjoys drawing‚ photography‚ writing haikus and trawling the internet just like any other teen. “I have a passion for researching useless information‚” he added.
This whiz-kid’s mantra in life is to always enjoy what you are doing for it to not be a chore. "As long as it's not boring‚ I do it‚” said Hjalmar.
TMG Digital/TimesLIVE
Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package. 
