A student from III. Gymnasium in Split has secured a spot among the 28 most successful high school graduates in the country, attributing her success to dedicated teachers, school preparations, and independent work.
Zara Božanić, a student at Split's III. Gymnasium, has made it onto the prestigious list of 28 graduates with the best scores on this year's state matriculation exams in compulsory subjects. Her achievement is particularly impressive given that she accomplished it without a single private tutoring session, relying solely on classroom instruction and school-organized preparations.
Among the 28 most successful graduates in Croatia, 20 come from gymnasiums and seven from vocational schools. In addition to special commendations, all were awarded a cash prize of 350 euros. Zara scored approximately 95% on the English exam, around 88% in mathematics, and about 92% in Croatian.
When she saw her name on the list, her reaction was genuine and emotional. "It was a shock. I didn't expect it, but I was really happy. I told my dad first, who was, of course, overjoyed and proud-none of this would have been possible without my parents' support," Zara told Slobodna Dalmacija.
Although MIOC is often mentioned as the "toughest" high school in Split, Zara has never regretted her choice. "I managed to balance everything. I always found time to go out, exercise, train, study, and still do well in school. If I had to choose again, I would enroll in the same school. We had really good teachers who prepared us excellently for the state matriculation exam," she emphasized.
Zara advises future graduates to take advantage of the preparation sessions offered by the school, as she believes everything can be prepared without paying for extra tutoring. "You just need to sit down and solve problems; looking around won't help. I didn't specifically prepare for English at all. In class, we wrote essays and practiced grammar with our teacher, but at home, I didn't study extra," she explained.
For Croatian and math, she attended school prep sessions, and for Croatian, she bought a collection of practice problems and worked through all of them. She particularly highlighted her math teacher's method, who created about twenty practice tests and integrated them into regular classes. "We had normal classes and regular tests, but we also had special prep for the matriculation exam. We also wrote tests from those prep materials, which were graded. That helped me a lot, and I think the whole concept was excellent," she said.
This year's Croatian essay was based on "Life Is a Dream," a Baroque play by Pedro Calderón de la Barca. Zara believes the topic was quite favorable. "If you know grammar, you can write a really good essay. Personally, I found the reading and text analysis part of Croatian harder. That was my weakest section, but I think the matriculation exam isn't overly difficult, and you can really prepare well for it," she claims.
In addition to the compulsory subjects, Zara also took exams in chemistry, biology, and physics. Although chemistry was her toughest subject because she had a final grade of 'good' (4), everything turned out well in the end. She will continue her education at the University of Split's School of Medicine. "I've always found it interesting because it's a very broad field with many possibilities. I don't yet know exactly what I'd like to do within medicine, but we'll see," she said.
She hasn't considered Zagreb. "I love Split. It's nice here, there's sun, and I can't live in a city where the weather is always bad because it really affects me." She won't live with her parents, as she'll move into her grandmother's apartment. "The apartment is small but great. Many of my friends are going to Zagreb, but most of my class is staying in Split," she added.
She also found love in the classroom and has been dating a classmate for a year, who is also staying in Split for university. What she'll remember most from her high school days is her class. "We had such a great time; we were always hanging out and having fun. We traveled a lot with the school-almost every year we went on two trips, plus excursions and various outings. Those are my fondest memories," she recalled.
She plans to make the most of her summer. "I like going to the gym, I love reading, and I really enjoy baking cakes. I've neglected that a bit lately, but it's still one of my favorite hobbies. This summer, I'll try to make the most of it-I'll be everywhere. I'm going to Korčula, Vis, Sinj, and Šolta." Since her family is from Šolta, she jokingly says they're a bit upset she hasn't visited more often, so she'll make up for it now. "I'll make up for it now and bring friends along so we can explore the island together. Now with a driver's license, everything is much easier," Zara concluded.
