Getting an early acceptance into the university of his dreams was no small achievement for CedarBridge Academy head boy Andrew Fleming.He was given a place at Mount St. Vincent University in Halifax, Canada, on December 1 the day after coming top in his year with a near-perfect grade point average of 3.98.“I just thought: I must be doing something right,” he told The Royal Gazette. “I don't want to say it was overwhelming, but it was a lot to take in at once.“Getting the early acceptance was fantastic and I was happy to celebrate it by sharing it with my family.“My mum and dad were very excited. And then I had to go back to my homework.”With one more year at high school to go, the S4 student plans to study overseas in 2011 for a Bachelor in Business Economics.Getting accepted just a matter of weeks after applying, Andrew said, shows the strength of Bermuda's public school system.“A lot of us here at CedarBridge have applied already and we've had about a few acceptances at my year level, which we're very proud of.“There are negative things you hear about the public school system, whether it be high school, middle school or primary school, and there actually is a lot of positives going on.“Just last week we had two of our Rotary students [deputy head boy Bryson Doers and deputy head girl Kellina Minors] take two of the spots available.“I think it's important for both sides of the school system to be accentuated, to let the public know that it's not just the private schools; it's both sides of the fence, it's one community, and it shouldn't be looked at as a division.”As well as Mount St. Vincent, he has applied to Temple University in Philadelphia and Brock University in Ontario, but has yet to decide where to go.“I want to live abroad for a while and do some travelling, but Bermuda's my home. I'd like to come back and I want to give back to the community,” he said.Andrew, who turned 17 yesterday, plans to join the insurance industry.“It's my goal to become an underwriter, hopefully in property rather than casualty. At the school here we have a mentorship programme, and this past summer I got the opportunity to intern at Catlin Insurance. I asked to work there and went through the application process at Human Resources. Luckily, they said yes.”Working last August with actuary Andrew MacFarlane, Andrew prepared data for risk calculations and had to deliver a presentation on his findings.“I wanted to be an actuary since middle school,” he said.“But when you get a view of things, it gives you the experience to say yes or no.“In the last week at Catlin I got to work with an underwriter and realised that was perhaps what I liked to do more.“An underwriter isn't always in the office; they're out meeting clients, and that's closer to what I'd like. It encompasses the best of both worlds.”Looking at issues from different perspectives allows him to make informed decisions.“Being head boy since September has given me the opportunity to work with students in other year levels. Just lately I got to coach a student trying to boost his grade point average.”Andrew's advice to other students boils down to “taking responsibility for your actions. It's about accountability. You have to set your priorities and know where they stand and try to be organised don't let things be laissez-faire”.