I'm a 20-year-old wannabe-uni student from Helsinki. My interests, study-wise, lie mainly with the humanist sciences, but in general, I am fascinated by most things the broad educational field has to offer. This goes beyond university, into a multitude of handicrafts and arts.

I hope to become a student of the English language with a side of history and literature, perhaps some additional foreign languages like Japanese, Welsh, Latin, or French.

As someone who is a bookworm and enthusiastic about acquiring new knowledge and, indeed, striving for perfection - my greatest ambition and dream for myself is to become the Renaissance man - I hope to find here kindred spirits and perhaps even mentors.



http://rateyourstudents.blogspot.com
An eye-opening reading experience that gives a glimpse to the frustrations of those who have been charged with teaching us...



Tuesday, 5th June 2007
I was in the entrance exam for ethnology in the Jyväskylä University (http://www.jyu.fi) today. There were some thirty people present, and their quota is fifteen, so I might actually have a shot. Of course, ethnology is only a backup plan if I don't get to study English philology (the exam for which is on the day after tomorrow), but still. I'll take the place if it's the only one I get. It would have its downsides, like having to move a few hundred kilometres away from home and all my important people to live on my own, but I think I could do it. Besides, I could always continue applying to the Helsinki University while studying in Jyväskylä. However, it's too early to be thinking about it now - the results come sometime in July. After I know how the dice have rolled I can start worrying about it.
My biggest complaint about today is that it came to cost 90.80€ in all to go there and come back. Train tickets are bloody expensive. Waking up at 5:30am I can handle, but to use that much money from my meagre bank account? Not something I take lightly. Well, fortunately my pay comes in ten days. Speaking of work...


Tuesday, 21st August 2007
I was left without a place to study. Out of the three entrance exams I participated in, two went to hell. The ethnology entrance exam I passed, and if not for too-low background points, I would have got the place. I find it somehow amusing (beside from being rotten) that whoever it was that had the lowest exam score of those who got in actually had less points from the exam than I did. Now that's irony for you. There are seven people on the spare list. I am the seventh. Do the math.
On the bright side, I don't have to move to Jyväskylä. To have at least something to do, I am keeping my crappy job, and went to enroll in the Open University of Helsinki for an approbatur in Development Studies. It will cost me 200 euros, and I won't get any support from the system, but hey, things could be worse. So I'm reasonably content. I'll just have to try again, harder, next year.