The aim of this study is to explore the ways in which lower tracked, "normal technical" students unpack academic requirements and expectations to achieve academic success. Set in Singapore, the study documents the lived experiences of four individuals from the "normal technical" course who have succeeded academically. The results show the emergence of three main forms of unpacking academic expectations that these participants employed throughout their lives. It will be argued that these individuals appear to be active and capable of drawing on valued knowledge and resources to participate in the institutionalised academic community. The participants' experiences also indicate that there may be a mismatch between the participants' interpretations of what was required of them and the institutionalised academic expectations. Their collective narratives challenge the exclusion of educationally disadvantaged students and confront traditional narratives of these youth as high potential dropouts.