Editing Andrei Chikatilo (section)

===Adolescence===
By his teens, Chikatilo was both a model student and an ardent [[Communism|communist]].{{sfn|Slovenko|1995|p=165}} He was appointed editor of his school newspaper at age 14{{sfn|Krivich|1993|p=146}} and chairman of the pupils' [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union|Communist Party]] committee two years later. An avid reader of communist literature, he was also delegated the task of organizing street marches.{{sfn|Cullen|1994|p=263}} Although Chikatilo claimed learning did not come easy to him due to headaches and poor memory, he was the only student from his collective farm to complete the final year of study, graduating with excellent grades in 1954.{{sfn|Cullen|1994|p=263}}

At the onset of [[puberty]], Chikatilo discovered that he had chronic [[Erectile dysfunction|impotence]], worsening his social awkwardness and self-hatred.{{sfn|Cullen|1994|pp=264–265}} He was shy in the company of women;{{sfn|Cullen|1994|p=264}} his first crush, at age 17, had been on a girl named Lilya Barysheva, with whom he had become acquainted through his school newspaper,{{sfn|Krivich|1993|p=147}} yet he was chronically nervous in her company and never asked her for a date. The same year, Chikatilo jumped upon an 11-year-old friend of his younger sister and wrestled her to the ground, [[orgasm|ejaculating]] as the girl struggled in his grasp.{{sfn|Cullen|1994|p=216}}

Following his graduation, Chikatilo applied for a scholarship at [[Moscow State University]]. Although he passed the entrance examination with good-to-excellent scores, his grades were not deemed good enough for acceptance.{{sfn|Cullen|1994|p=217}} Chikatilo speculated his scholarship application was rejected due to his father's tainted war record (his father had been branded a traitor for being taken prisoner in 1943)<ref name="news.google.com"/>{{sfn|Cullen|1994|p=261}} but the truth was that other students had performed better in a highly competitive exam.{{sfn|Conradi|1992|pp=18–19}} He did not attempt to enrol<!--- Please do not fix the spelling of enrol. Article is written in British English.---> at another university; instead, he travelled to the city of [[Kursk]], where he worked as a labourer for three months before—in 1955—enroling in a [[Vocational school#Central and Eastern Europe|vocational school]] to become a communications technician.{{sfn|Cullen|1994|p=217}} The same year, Chikatilo formed his first serious relationship, with a local girl two years his junior. On three occasions, the couple attempted intercourse, but on each occasion, he was unable to sustain an erection.{{sfn|Krivich|1993|p=153}} After eighteen months, she broke off the relationship.