The Weight Of The World

This is going to be an annoying rant, but I feel like I need to get this of my system and what better way to do it than writing a public blog post.

I am starting to hate this Finnish university system. Yes, I´d love to study in a university, but it seems somehow impossible. I mean, fuck these entry exams. It´s something only we seem to have. I understand it´s important to check wether the person wanting to study the subject really is fit to do it, but why make it so incredibly hard? In best cases you have up to five books you need to know inside out and based on them answer to questions at the exam. It´s not enough that you´ve done well in upper secondary school or in vocotional school, no, you need to assure these people at the university that you also have all the time in the world to study books and understand them completely. Of course you can take a course where they go through the things probably asked in the exam, but it costs. Depending on the subject, thousands of euros. Money well spent, I doubt.

Applying to a university would be the only case when I´d actually know how to write about myself. I could go on and on why it would be great to study the subject I´ve chosen and why I would be good candidate for it. But none of these institutions ask it, they just want to see how well you can write about a small section of a book you´ve read for months. I call this unfair. And even if you study in an open university like I am forced to do, it doesn´t actually do any good. Of course it´ll give you a feeling of wether you want to study the subject, but when applying, you have to take the excatly same exam everyone else is taking. Thank you for nothing?

Then there are these government officials wondering why people are at least 25 years old when they graduate. You can call yourself fucking lucky if you get in before your 21st birthday. Or a genius, if you walk into a university without a sabbathical year. These same officials also encourage people to study faster and graduate sooner. Well, unfortunately they have done it so hard, only a minority can actually make it. I would love to graduate before in in my mid-20s, but right now it seemd it´s just a dream. Yes, I will be sending applications this spring and attending probably more than five entry exams just to wait to get some letters in late July. And seriously, if I travel abroad in the summer, I´m not getting a plane ticket home until I have something to do in the fall if I don´t get in. I don´t want to come back here to sit home and try to figure out a plan F... Might piss off my parents, but it´s their problem. I know they´d love to brag that their daughter is highly educated and has a good job (If I´d get a euro every time my mom says "you just study so you don´t have to work in places we do", I´d have money for a plane ticket to New York. ).

Of course I could study abroad. Estonia would be a marvellous option, if they had something else to offer than engineering or medicine, both subjects that I couldn´t care less. Sweden would be nice too, not too different from Finland. Seriously, I´m considering it. I´ve always had some odd symphaties towards the country anyway. Britain would be a heaven, but then there are these fucking tuition fees. I´ll offer you two guesses on wether I could aford them... Well, barely and KELAs support isn´t excatly great. How about bringing the system to the 21st century from the 1980s? And these British schoold require me to prove I can English. Which means IELTS. I fucking got a Laudatur in English in the matriculation exam, I write this in English, but that´s not always enough. Why oh why didn´t I win in the lottery last night? I don´t even want to talk about the career opportunities...

These Finnish officials also encourage people to have kids when they are young. Well, I have a hint for them. How about not cutting their financial support when they have a child and are still studying. Because then they have to get a job and can´t study efficiently full time. See some kind of vicious circle? I´d love to graduate when I´m still reasonably young, get married and have kids and a nice job to top that. (No, not a Volvo and a beach holiday at the Canary Islands once a year. And certainly not a summer cottage in the middle of nowhere.) Probably not going to happen any time soon. Which makes me sad.

I feel better now. I´m still going to hate applying and exams and waiting. But I´ve said what I wanted. Sorry for all the swearing (eventhough I´ve been said it´s fine), but I´m just so fucking frustrated. If not give us a change to study, at least give us a job. But there is nothing here, damn you recession. Mom keeps saying I´ve got plenty of time to work, but I´m getting more and more bored and frustrated at home and that isn´t good for anyone. That´s my two cents.


I´m waiting for the storm forecast for today. Just hoping it won´t take out the power, I am going to spend hours watching football today. After all, it´s Sunday and you don´t really need to do anything. And I voted beforehand, so that is covered too. Speaking of football, everyone must know by now Spurs sacked Juande Ramos and are replacing him with Harry Redknapp, the manager oh so loyal to Pompey-not. We´ll see what happens, I´m waiting for the North London derby that takes place on Wednesday. Wouldn´t be the first derby I´ve seen this season, ended up watching Juventus and Torino play last night. It was quite boring, but better than nothing.

I´m going to do a "best songs at the moment" listing for the next post, the laptop battery is too low for that at the moment, but I have to say, listen to Jeff Buckley. Grace is such a great album, and his voice... Gives me chills. A great album to listen while you´re listening to the rain outside sitting by the fire (this is odd, the fact that we now actually have a fireplace). Mix in a good book and your dull fall day might be just perfect.

More of that when I return to posting, until that, take care.

IWFT