Tuesday 9 September 2008

Report from the black forest

So, I'm starting to get strange questions like: Hey, what are you doing these days? Where are you? etc. Thus I started to realise that I haven't actually told anyone except Da-Ryun, Sara and Rikard where I am and presumed that the information had migrated. Obviously it hasn't, since Anton - who lives five yards from Rikard - aked me about this today.

This is the situation: I was to slow with my KE1201 - Gymnasiekemi A - (may the cursed thing forever burn in hell and sink into oblivion) and was therefore removed from the application-queue-thingy for Byggteknikprogrammet at Uppsala University. After a brief panic I then sent in an application to Lunds Tekniska Högskola i Helsingborg - the same programme. Because of my belatedness I was placed on 7th place on the reserve list and thus my chances of getting in were slim. Why, you might wonder? Because swedish universities has a fine institution called "överintag" which means that the university looks at the statistics to find out how many applicants usually fail to show up for registration and/or drop out in the first semester and decide on a number of students that will be accepted in addition to the number of places that they actually have on the programme. In Helsongborg that number is 10, which means that in order for me to get a late admission 17 persons would have to change their minds...

Therefore I somewhat reluctantly sent in an application for Byggingenjörsprogrammet att Högskolan dalrana, Borlänge. Truth to be told, I don't want to spend three years in Borlänge. I don't even want to spend one year in Borlänge. Why?! Have you been in Borlänge? It is probably the ugliest town in Dalarna - second to Grängesberg, that is. And it's boring. It has a high criminality rate. And student-wise it's dead. Seriously, for the entire campus in Borlänge about 100 hundred chose to show up at the introduction (inspark) - in Uppsala that was the number that participated in the introduction for my programme alone. And the lunch is expensive - 60kr if you eat there and 50kr if you take it with you!

The programme is OK, some of the teatchers are outright great, others are acceptable. The class is a little odd... In total we are 42, but half of them are going to become foremen (Byggarbetsledare) so next year we'll be about 20. A handful are over 40 years old. Because the school offers a sort of "tekniskt basår" concurrently with the programme 10 or so have not taken mathematics D... As I have alreday told Sara and Da-Ryun many (read most) of the girls are the irritating kind - you know what I mean?

So, for the more positive sides of the situation. I am studying something that I like! I mean, really, really like. That way I think it will be easier for me to motivate myself to actually study... I'm moving to a nice apartment/room. And because I won't move in until October 1st I will be able to buy a couch. And I baught a nice shelf from my cousin who is also moving. The place will be awesome and if you don't come to visit me I will forever hold a grudge! And finally, which is one of the main reasons I am even considering this - Borlänge is 1,5 hours away from Uppsala with train. And I will be able to buy tradera tickets for next to nothing.

That was all for now. If you want to discuss the suckiness of the swedish school system - please give me a call. Actually, give me a call anyway! Oh, and if you want to go downhill skiing at Romme (uttalas Romme med O som i Olov och Orolig - inte Råmme! tro mig, jag har pratat med lokalbefolkningen) this winter you don't have to worry about lodgings.

9 comments:

Nightflyer said...

This sounds great. ^^ Besides the whole living in Borlänge thing. I have been there numerous times and I have to agree with you about the ugliness... -_-'

But it is a good thing that you are only 1.5 hours away. It is highly possible for us to come visit you. ^^ We will talk more when you come to visit us next weekend. The apartment has changed a lot since the last time you where here. =P

Rik said...

Swedish schools are designed by people who suck. I don't know what they suck, but it's probably something extraordinarily sucky.

Glad it worked itself out, anywho!

Nallenon said...

I approve of skiing.

Yeonni said...

I vigorously disapprove of skiing.

But I can play in the snow while the grown-ups tumble downhill with sticks under their feet.

Kristin said...

Or you can sit inside with me and drink hot chocolate! (I also dissaprove of downhill skiing)

Sara said...

I disapprove of snow all together but chocolate sounds nice :P

Kristin said...

Hmm, I actually think it would be possible to fit you all in that place - although a bit cramped. I'm gonna buy a sofa-bed-thingy that's 160 wide, and I'll have my bed and the bed that comes with the room...

Eva said...

Approving skiing.

Though, disaprooving that the school system sucks. It's just because IB is special :)

Kristin said...

And here's an interesting thing: the school in Brolänge is too big(!), so they're going to tear a third/fourth of it down and build a cafe and new labs in the other end of the building and building offices where they tore things down... The scary thing is that they are going to start building the cafe/lab thing while they are still demolishing in the other end of the house.