Man.. College Acceptance

[Ayham]

I am not really sad, I am just... kinda sad? 

I just got my college acceptance.

In my country, our system is extremely different, 12th grade marks are the only factor basically, and our material is like, 7 subjects, each 200 - 400 pages of college level dense material, schools aren't even good enough to go through all material, everyone signs up for private classes which are very costly, and everyone aims for medicine because it is the only thing that gets employed here and highest paying (after 15 years of a studying path lol), other majors require to have connections in the government to get employed.

Anyways I never cared about that, I just wanted a major that I like.

I was in a gifted secondary school (middle + high school), that you have to get 95+ in 6th grade, then rank in the top 50 in an IQ test, it is like the best school in this country, but I was literally the worst of the best academically here (got usually 90 average), which was a blow to my self-esteem, in normal schools I would be very good if not the best.

Also fun fact, schools here are only male or female, college is mixed though.

But yeah, my school was also an echo chamber for Salafism for some reason, and that got me in trouble for holding different views and debating a lot.

Those days passed, were fun, but last year which was just terrible, because of 12th grade, and I ended up with an 85 average, which doesn't get me to any major I like here.

Today was the acceptance, I got into "renewable energy engineering" or something, ew.

I wanted AI and robotics engineering, or cybersecurity engineering, or computer engineering, my average just doesn't get me into them, I can apply again and hope for better, but man, it is depressing, especially since I come from a family of doctors from my fathers side who are very academically inclined, they had better expectations for me, but fuck them I couldn't care less.
 

I got to know about the fact that I could apply to scholarships to first world countries very late so I didn't have time to actually do that, but I have been working on my CV, learning technical skills, volunteering, gonna take IELTS and SAT test and apply for scholarships, even if by next year.

 

Fuck man, I am aware college doesn't determine your future, especially if you work on yourself and are ambitious, but I just wanted to go in a major I like.

 

 

[Leo Gura]

@Ayham Aren't you accepted to a particular university vs a specific major?

Once you're inside a university you can change your major to whatever you like.

Edited October 20 by Leo Gura

[Ayham]

2 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

@Ayham Aren't you accepted to a particular university vs a specific major?

Once you're inside a university you can change your major to whatever you like.

Nope, not in Iraq.

You get accepted into a specific major in a specific university, the only factor is your 12th grade average, and you can't change your major.

: / 

Scholarship to first world country is my hope, fulfills the goal of leaving Iraq and studying a major I enjoy.
It is not easy either but imma try my best.

I can currently re apply to 10 different majors as a reattempt , but considering my average, I don't expect anything good, but why not imma try. 

[Thought Art]

@Ayham Well, I know you may be a bit disappointed that you didn’t get the program you wanted. However, the skills you will develop in this program are transferable and renewable energy is likely to have paths which lead to AI if you are open and aware to them. 
 

Fields like cybersecurity can be extremely stressful so be careful with that. 
 

You may likely have courses in this program which touch on robotics, computers and AI. So, be patient. 

[Leo Gura]

43 minutes ago, Ayham said:

You get accepted into a specific major in a specific university, the only factor is your 12th grade average, and you can't change your major.

Sounds ridiculous.

[Ayham]

51 minutes ago, Thought Art said:

@Ayham Well, I know you may be a bit disappointed that you didn’t get the program you wanted. However, the skills you will develop in this program are transferable and renewable energy is likely to have paths which lead to AI if you are open and aware to them. 
 

Fields like cybersecurity can be extremely stressful so be careful with that. 
 

You may likely have courses in this program which touch on robotics, computers and AI. So, be patient. 

Yeah well

I can technically go to computer science, but I would go through the hassle of fighting with my parents cuz "it is not engineering"

And renewable energy thing is called electrochemical engineering specialized into renewable energy 

 

13 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

Sounds ridiculous.

Lol yes, peak ridiculous 

Everyone here chases for medical majors like sheep

[Ero]

20 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

Sounds ridiculous.

Only the US does the “choose your major” thing. Which is why I came to study here. Best decision ever.

[Ero]

@Ayham College, especially for technical fields, is hard. I have always been a straight A student, but that I still work 10-12 h days. So bite the bullet and study what you want, otherwise you will suffer. Even if you take a gap year. It’s time to grow up and make your own decisions.

[Thought Art]

3 minutes ago, Ero said:

Only the US does the “choose your major” thing. Which is why I came to study here. Best decision ever.

No, you can do that in many western countries…

[Thought Art]

@Ayham I trust you will figure it out. You are an extremely bright young mind. Let these challenges grow and strengthen you.

[Leo Gura]

What if you just attend all the classes for the other major without even telling them?

This sounds like a situation where you just go to your university under the current major and bribe someone to switch your major later.

Edited October 20 by Leo Gura

[Ero]

1 minute ago, Thought Art said:

No, you can do that in many western countries…

Like what? UK you can’t, Germany you can’t, Netherlands, Switzerland and France as well. Every country my peers have went to is like that.

[Thought Art]

@Ero There is more flexibility at least than Iraq. 
 

Canada is one of them. I did some research via ChatGPT:

 

In numerous countries, students have the flexibility to choose their major or field of study in college or university. Here’s an overview of how major selection typically works in various regions:

 

Countries with Flexible Major Selection:

 

    •    United States: Students often apply to universities with a declared major but have the option to change their major during their undergraduate studies. This flexibility allows for exploration across different fields before making a definitive choice.

    •    Canada: Similar to the U.S., Canadian students can select their major upon entry and have the opportunity to switch during their program, though the process may vary by institution.

    •    United Kingdom: Students apply to university courses (majors) but can sometimes change their course of study, depending on the institution and specific program requirements.

    •    Australia: The Australian education system offers flexibility, enabling students to choose and change their majors during their undergraduate studies, subject to certain conditions set by universities.

    •    New Zealand: Students can select their major upon enrollment and have the option to change, though policies may differ between universities.

 

Countries with More Rigid Major Selection:

 

    •    Germany: Students are required to choose their field of study before enrolling in a university program, and changing majors can be more challenging due to the structured nature of the education system.

    •    Japan: Students select their major prior to entering university, with less flexibility to change fields once enrolled.

    •    France: The French education system often requires students to choose their specialization early, and while changes are possible, they can be complex and are not as common.

    •    Italy: Students typically select their major before enrollment, and switching majors may involve additional procedures and requirements.

 

It’s important to note that within these countries, the ease of changing majors can vary depending on the institution and the specific programs involved. Some universities may offer more flexible policies, while others have stricter guidelines. If you’re considering studying abroad or exploring different education systems, it’s advisable to research the specific policies of universities in the countries you’re interested in to understand how major selection and changes are handled.

[Ero]

Yah, nah, that UK answer is BS. Canada and NZ sure. But still, point is “chose your major” is an exception, not the rule.

[mmKay]

1 hour ago, Ayham said:

Nope, not in Iraq.

You get accepted into a specific major in a specific university, the only factor is your 12th grade average, and you can't change your major.

Exactly the same in Spain. It seems that the US beat EU on that one. Changing majors is very complicated. It's actually what stopped me from going into Psychology. I didn't know that was my direction with 1 ( ideally 2 ) years of notice. Oops

If you really desire to go into that college and switch majors, 1 to 2 years is not a lot of time in the broader picture of your life. It's actually a pretty short time period.

People waste 5 years to a decade on a bad relationship or get stuck in a dead end job before doing something about it if at all.

Edited October 20 by mmKay

[mmKay]

1 hour ago, Leo Gura said:

Sounds ridiculous.

It's like that in most of Europe. 

[Espaim]

Are you willing to move out of your country?

[Ayham]

58 minutes ago, Ero said:

@Ayham College, especially for technical fields, is hard. I have always been a straight A student, but that I still work 10-12 h days. So bite the bullet and study what you want, otherwise you will suffer. Even if you take a gap year. It’s time to grow up and make your own decisions.

Got it, will do, thanks for saying.

57 minutes ago, Thought Art said:

@Ayham I trust you will figure it out. You are an extremely bright young mind. Let these challenges grow and strengthen you.

Thank you, I will take my education into my own hands, but the goal is to find a major that compliments that.

58 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

What if you just attend all the classes for the other major without even telling them?

This sounds like a situation where you just go to your university under the current major and bribe someone to switch your major later.

oh, I think that's possible, I mean my degree on paper would still be the one I got accepted into, and I would have to take its exams to pass so more studying, hmmm...

possible though to be honest, I could do that for fun.

My main interest is definitely AI and LLM stuff, there is a major called "AI and robotics engineering" it was the thing I wanted, I could have gotten into it with an average of 90, but I am 85 so woops.

13 minutes ago, Espaim said:

Are you willing to move out of your country?

I mean that's my goal, but:

1. Getting a visa out of here is very hard
2. I have a lot of relatives in USA and UK, makes it harder to get accepted, because they know I am not going to come back if I have someone there I can stay with
3. A scholarship is best bet which I will apply for
4. My father is rich enough to let me study outside of Iraq without scholarship, but bro is busy with his villa somewhere and new wife, and refuses to pay, he lost all care for me since I did not make it or want to make it to medicine, which he says it is "the only successful field".  

[Leo Gura]

No one in the business world cares about your diploma. You can tell them whatever major you want.

[Ayham]

Lol it is so funny

1. We did not get any sort of lessening of subjects like other years
2. the questions were worse than every year
3. the grading was worst, it felt very cheated, I expected 90 - 95
4. only 31% of 12th graders in Iraq passed, imagine
5. and the averages required sky rocketed

 

9 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

No one in the business world cares about your diploma. You can tell them whatever major you want.

I would think so too, though maybe a bit different in third world countries, time to develop technical skills and a profitolio (or however it is spelled)