Editing Maesters (section)

===Education===
[[File:Maester studies.jpg|thumb|350px|A maester at his studies, in ''[[Game of Thrones]]'': Complete Guide to Westeros]]
Boys and young men from all over [[Westeros]] come to study, learn, and forge their chains at the [[Citadel]].{{Ref|TWOIAF|7|7|4}} There is no age requirement,{{Ref|SSM|1022}} and despite the prejudice of the [[archmaesters]] to status of birth, males of every social status are allowed to forge their chain. As such, [[Smallfolk|baseborns]] (e.g., [[Pate (novice)|Pate]]),{{Ref|AFfC|0}} [[Bastardy|bastards]] (e.g., [[Walys]]){{Ref|ADWD|37}}, younger children of lords, and even royalty (e.g., Prince [[Oberyn Martell]],{{Ref|ASOS|36}} and Princes [[Aemon Targaryen (son of Maekar I)|Aemon]]{{Ref|AGOT|60}} and [[Vaegon Targaryen]]){{Ref|TWOIAF|4|4}} can study together at the Citadel.

Novices and acolytes are educated together. Archmaesters give open lectures, which the students can attend at will. Once a student believes he has sufficient knowledge on a particular subject, he can go before an archmaester to demonstrate his knowledge. If the archmaester judges the student’s knowledge to be proficient, he awards him with a link of a metal reflecting the topic.{{Ref|AFfC|0}}

Not all who start their studies will complete their chain. Oldtown is full of aging novices and acolytes who have never started their chains, or never finished forging them.{{Ref|SSM|1022}} Others leave the Citadel before completing their chain on purpose. [[Gunthor Hightower]] studied for several years at the Citadel,{{Ref|AFFC|45}} although it is not known whether he earned any links while there. Both Lord [[Lyonel Strong]],{{Ref|TWOIAF|7|3|1}} and Prince [[Oberyn Martell]]{{Ref|ASOS|36}} left the Citadel after forging six links. Some students learn only something about healing, and may become barbers, serving [[smallfolk]] with [[leech]]es, setting broken bones, and shaving and cutting their hair.{{Ref|AFfC|0}}

It is not known how long a student generally takes to forge a chain. Maester [[Yandel]] earned his first link in {{Date|285}} and completed his chain in {{Date|292}}, at the age of twenty,{{Ref|TWOIAF|1}} while [[Aemon Targaryen (son of Maekar I)|Aemon]], who took several more years to forge his chain,{{Refn|group="N"|According to [[Jeor Mormont]], Aemon was "nine or ten" years old when he was sent to the Citadel.{{Ref|ACoK|6}} As he completed his chain at the age of nineteen, it had taken him nine or ten years to complete his studies.}} took his maester's vows at the age of nineteen.{{Ref|AWOIAF|Aemon}} The speed at which a student earns his links differs between each student. While some might take a year per link (e.g., [[Armen]]),{{Ref|AFfC|0}} exceptional students might earn as many as three links within a year (e.g., [[Alleras]]),{{Ref|AFfC|0}} possibly even more.{{Refn|group="N"|[[Aemon Targaryen (son of Maekar I)|Aemon]] had started his education at the age of "nine or ten", and earned "half a dozen" links by the time [[Aerys I Targaryen]] ascended the Iron Throne in {{Date|209}},{{Ref|ACoK|6}} one or two years after arriving at the Citadel.}}