Enrico Fermi entered the competition in Rome for admission to the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa; Fermi was admitted and spent the next four years in Pisa. At the time, only about ten applications were accepted each year. The essay Fermi wrote for the entrance exam is still legendary today: “The Distinctive Characteristics of Sounds and Their Causes.” Fermi placed first and was admitted without reservations.
