Finnish VS British educational system

I can express an opinion about countries where I have lived, and I have lived in Greece, Finland, England, and Scotland by now.

I want to make a small analysis about the Finnish and the British educational systems regarding the postgraduate studies. Of course, this is my personal opinion following my personal experience, and I am not expecting from anyone to agree or disagree with me. I just want to inform about a couple subtle, but important differences.

In the UK, at least in the majority of the Institutions, they are not selective, ie if you can afford for your Master's degree (you have to pay for the Masters), you are welcome no matter what your background is. In the University where I went, they were supposed to have strict selective criteria. What I found out was that I was there with an excellent academic background, while another Greek had a very low GPA. There were people who had not even studied for a Bachelor degree, but they had some relevant working experience. Everyone who applies is accepted, and this is why in some classes there are more than 70 students attending a course.

In Finland, they are selective. You need to have a very relevant academic background, and the maximum number of students in a course is rather smaller. There is no tuition fee, and you have to deserve it in order to be accepted.

In the UK, you have to complete 180 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) in order to get your Master. These credits represent the hours you have to attend the courses along with the hours you need to study for them. In the UK, most of the postgraduate programmes last 1 year (full-time).

In Finland, you have to complete 120 ECTS in order to get your Master. In Finland, most of the postgraduate programmes last 2 years (full-time).

After this, where would you choose to study? Good luck!

Depression, because of the University of Stirling

I suffer from Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). BPD is characterised by emotional dyregulation and exteme 'black and white' thinking. I am thinking too much about the future, and I forget to live in the present. I am trying to get over it. I will start chasing my dreams again. The dreams that some people raped and killed. Some people who call themselves "educational staff" of Stirling University, in Scotland.

In September of 2006, I decided to continue my studies and go to Scotland for an MSc. In the start, I could not believe that they were so badly organised, but I showed patience. I had chosen that University, because I was interested in some modules which were not offered anymore without any notice. The Master's degree was a taught course, and there were three teachers teaching. Only one of them had a relevant PhD. The second had a relevant Master's degree and the third not even a Master's.

I was so deadly surprised when I found out that no one controls the Scottish Universities, and they can do everything they want. I was harassed by the educational staff, but the only chance I could bring justice was to pay a lawyer. I was in such a mess that I spent several days in the hospital at Stirling. I wanted to go back home, and I could not face the idea of spending another day in that land.

A few words about the programme: There were no exams, only homework. In case someone failed, they had no right to resit. They informed us about this, once we had enrolled and paid. I can also write about something that happened to me! I hope to make youl laugh! We had a module called Media Relations. The evaluation was upon four assignments (each counting 25%). I had C, B, B, B and guess what my overall grade was! It was a C! I was the only person who faced that. About half of the students had C, C, B, B and they had a B for their overall grade. They simply never accepted that a disabled person can have dreams, the desire to evolve, and mainly the guts and the abilities to progress. How can someone like those people educate you?

I dropped out the nightmare, and in March 2007. I decided I had to take my life in my hands. I started working as a freelance translator, and going out with my friends. Now, I have decided to finish my Master, but I don't know where. Either England or Finland. We'll see.

The Finnish paradise

I spent my summer in Helsinki. What a lovely city for summer vacations. Coming from Athens, I really enjoyed the cool breeze, and the clean atmosphere. The temperature in Athens was around 42 degrees, while in Helsinki, it never went higher than 28. All Greece was burnt down by arsonists, but I could walk next to the trees and lakes, and fill myself with positive energy; something I really needed. I attended some Finnish language courses, but let's face the truth... Who enjoys studying during the summer? I passed the exams, but one month later, I have forgotten most of the grammar I learnt.

Why did I go to Finland? Because I absolutely adore this country! Finns can enjoy so much without even realising it. It is a very safe country, there is a welfare state with buses and trams arriving on time (at least, usually), and you know that if you have a friend, they will always be friend of yours. Where I come from, people are double-faced, and they may pretend to be your best friend, and say the worst behind your back. Well, fortunately, not everyone is like that, and I am happy, because nowadays I have some good and real friends.

When I first visited Finland, I was there with a scholarship, Erasmus/Socrates. I stayed there for five moths, and I can say it was an unforgettable experience. I lived in Tampere and I had my first multicultural experience. I discovered a country where metal music, Santa Clause, and dreams were alive! I was excited. I discovered a new educational and managerial system which simply left me speechless. I then felt that if ancient Greeks had not existed, no one would be aware of Greece. How magic and sad at the same time.

I did it, at last.

After spending lots of hours in thinking, I decided to give a try to blogging. One month ago, I came back in Greece from Finland, and I decided that I need to share my thoughts and some information with other people. Mainly, I need to express myself; to shout about some illness, some unfair treatment, some secret desires and some lost dreams. Welcome, to my blog.