{ALT}The quest to become one of the Academy begins at a very early age. Children attend all-female boarding schools, most of which are located in the countryside and co-financed by the Academy. After a very strict selective process that continues till the age of 18, only the smartest students are allowed to compete for enrollment into one of the Academy's universities - Scientific and Medical Academies. Graduates of the former become Researchers, the latter - Nurses. The most prestigious are Astro Academies, which deal primarily with arcanist students and post-graduate Explorers. The numerous dropouts don't have it easy - some succeed with the Guild, the Church or local administration, but many are forced to take jobs as maids, waitresses or outright prostitutes.{ALT}