<p>Hi !
first of all i wanna apologize cause im not evevn from the US , i was just searching about college and major stuff so i found this site and read som useful topics so i said why not posting in it ? i mean i liked the idea and thought maybe you guys won’t have a problem to give me some opinions and thoughts even if i don’t belong here or whatsoever
so,
im egyptian , 17 , in high school , next year will be my last in it , not sure if you call it senior or what , but here things are so much different , in the end of your first year in high school (freshman ) you have to chose between science section and litterature one , then those who chose the scientific one in the end of this year between science and maths ,if you want to go to med school , dentisrty ,science,pharmacy school , you have to chose the science one , if you want engineering or CS its the math one , then there is the litterature one if you want to go to economics and political science school ,law,commerce,languages,education, but you can get to them with the science\maths sections too , here its all about your grades in the end , per example , the med school takes from 98% , if yo get 97,8% you can go to it , you go to the college below it , its complicated and stupid system i know
the myth here in egypt is that those in the litterature one are the “stupid ones” , the failures , cause it depends on how much you can memorize , cuz we study history , geography , psychology and Philosophy , i know you guys cant understand the how much the sytem here is so stupid , but yeah , and in the science section they study chemistry ,physics,biology and geology , in the maths one , the study pure math and applied math (dont know what you guys call it ) , physics and chemistry ,
i was always a good students with really good grades , top of the class, not genius , but i just knew how to get thing done before the exams , i chose the litterature on , cause i want to go to economincs and political science school , and i have too many problems , the look people give when i say im in the litterature section , like im stupid or a failure , and i did like the one in the science sec did i chose the college and the section of it , im also afraid that i took the easy way , as i said i could go to this college if i was in the science one , but yeah it would be easier from here , but then i think i should’ve entered the science section , work so so hard get a high percentage to prove people im not stupid then go to the college i want , but then i think the atmosphere of high school here is so stressful and hard , a 0,1% can change your whole future , and the exams are always unpredictable , i can’t even explain , every year we hear about students who commit suicide because of their percentage and that they couldn’t get to the college they want , or because of the difficulty of the exam , i know , no matter how much i tried i cant explain the stupid ignorant situation here , plus at first , i said i want to go to the science sec , my mom said its so difficult , i would do nothing in it , its for geniuses , i will fail in it , my mom doesn’t think im stupid , but yeah im not also that of a genius , cause in middle school i hated maths , and had somehow bad grades in it , but then again i used to study just before the exam , so im not sure if im stupid or just lazy 
the problem is i dont know i could do something in th science sec but i ran away from it , and if i switch will i succeed in it ?? i know if someone read this its impossible you could give me an answer i just want someone out of the box , out of this stupid envitonment to tell me his opinion.
another problem is that even if i got to the science section and say got 100% in it , i don’t want to go to med school , pharmacy or stuff , i don’t want any of these college or even engineering , they are all great , but just i cant imagine myself in it , is that wrong ? i mean i think if i had on of these college as my dream i would all i can to get to it , here they call it “top colleges” people appreciate those in it , i know i should do what i want but im in so much stress , i don’t know if i have chosen the science sect and got the percentage to go to one of these colleges thing would have been different that i would go anyway , is it wrong that i already chose a college ?
i really don’t know anything or what to do
i think again they don’t always see themselves as doctors , they just work to get a good percentage and then they go to whatever school the get , but it feels like gambling right ?
but again i think these are "top colleges " for a reason , its not like they’re all wrong and im right , im afraid that i could have been able to get to these schools but just refused ,
then there’s my choice , economics and political science , its also a top college here , but i just liked , i searched the courses ,they study macroeconomics , political economy and things like that , i kinda got interested , and also one of my dreams is not to stay here , to finish college and got to another country , and what encouraged ne to chose it is that its possible to get a diploma from france’s sorbonne while studying in this college , so i really liked it , but honestly i dont know whats my problem , maybe cause i was always one of the best students and now im in the litterature section filled with failures ? or maybe those who were always behind me will be called doctors and im not ? is it that i could be a doctor but i just didn’t want to ? that i could prove that im not stupid but i took the easy way ? but i could have lost everything too , is it that i don’t know if i got the potential to succeed in the science sec ? and again here there’s a big myth that graduates from this college dont find a work , i mean if you major in political science , you choice are to work in ministry of forgein affairs and its so hard to pass the exams + they chose those who knew somebody in it or have money , or to work in journalism and stuff , to be clear its future is not clear at all , if i major in economics it would be easier to find a job , banks , companies , market , ect , but i dont know if i want to work in these stuff , i just don’t know , i don’t know if i chose the right sec , if im right , i don’t know why im writing here , if you guys will understand and help , i shouldn’t write here anyway but i just don’t know what to do
help ?</p>
<p>i bet even if anyone read this you won’t understand , sorry ppl</p>
<p>Well I read your post. It sounds like you are a bit panicked about decisions that you had to make. You are doubting you made the correct one but don’t know if you did or didn’t. You are too young to make up your mind about what you want to do for the rest of your life but, from what you are saying, your country requires that you do so. Many people your age feel exactly like you feel. You have not been out in the world to see what the possibilities are for yourself and how you might fit in (or not). It is understandable to feel panicked. Most young people experience that at some point. They may not express it but they feel it. It is scary for most people know exactly what they want to do. Some older people are still not sure they chose the right path. Maybe there really is no “right path”. Once you make a decision you can probably carve your own path. Make it right for yourself. In the meantime, is there a counselor of some sort you can talk with. You need to talk with an adult who can help you sort out things like what type of work environment you would thrive in. Do you have somebody like that? Maybe a guidance counselor in your school?</p>
<p>i tried to talk with my mother , but its the same answer every time "its your decision ,its your future ,do what you wanna do , but take the responsibility of it " about a counselor ,no there’s no such things like that , and i know that its me who should take the decision but i don’t know how </p>
<p>i know all i wrote about what people think is just trash , i shouldn’t care about it , and if i want something i should do it regardless of what they think , but is there some way to be somehow sure ?? i know no one can be sure about everything , but should i switch, work to get good percentage and then choose a college ? but then again what would i do if i didnt get a good one , even lost eco\p.s school , and then i have to make a quick decision , mid-year exams will start in 10\1 , and if i switch to the science one i dont know if i would be able to pass , okay i can take it in the summer , i just need to take a decision , but i don’t know how and my whole future depends on that decision , im just lost </p>
<p>i know its not my place and i shouldn’t write here and im sorry if i bothered you or anyone </p>
<p>but if anyone would tell me anything im just so lost please </p>
<p>This IS the place to ask for other parents’ advice. It is hard for us because most of us have the system where a broad based HS education is required so decisions like yours do not come up. I had trouble reading through your entire post so my take on it may not be accurate. I think you are wondering if you should switch to a science or math based curriculum from the literature for two different reasons. One reason is that literature is perceived as easier and does not have the smartest students in it. The other reason is that you may want a math/science related major in college. You also seem to lack local resources to help you decide.</p>
<p>You need to be in the curriculum that best suits your interest and abilities. You should switch if need be to learn the subjects you most like. Many top students are good in the humanities and take the minimum of science type courses in the US. Many top students in math/science also are good in humanities et al and take all kinds of courses in the US. Since you do not have the same options you need to figure out where you want to go sooner than US students (btw- my Indian H went to a premed-medicine college curriculum instead of my major plus electives then medical school one- I was able to get a much more well rounded education).</p>
<p>Do not worry about the prestige factor. If the literature sequence has more of the courses that intrigue you stick with it and learn as much as you can despite those around you. You could be unhappy with the other tracks and wish you could discuss things that do not interest those students.</p>
<p>However- if math and sciences intrigue you, if you see yourself someday doing one of those professions, do make the switch. It will take extra work to catch up to your peer group but if you are motivated and interested it will be doable. </p>
<p>I’m a list maker. Make lists of the different courses you would take in each curriculum, crossing off the ones you have taken already. Check on what is required for you to finish each- the extra courses needed, etc. </p>
<p>Make a second list with courses that interest you in each of the above. If one has many more than the others that is the curriculum for you. You can also make a list of courses you think you would dislike and figure out if a path is worth taking those. In college I was a chemistry major but disliked physics- the positives outweighed the negatives.</p>
<p>Yet another list is potential careers that interest you. Consider the education needed after HS. If they mostly skew to the sciences or the humanities you choose the path towards them. If, like many students, you have many interests it is harder to choose. Think about where you might be ten years from now. Will you be unhappy that you gave up the potential for a math/science based career? Or would the other fields satisfy you? Eventually we all have to make such choices, your country forces the decision earlier than here.</p>
<p>It sounds like your mother is trying to give you the freedom to choose instead of dictating to you. Once you have made your lists it would be good to present your findings to her with a request for her input/ideas. She can then help you clarify things with her knowledge of you, your society and her years of knowledge. Just listening to you work things out verbally is something she can do to help. </p>
<p>Good luck. Breaking up a problem into several smaller units often makes it more manageable.</p>
<p>Another factor. IF you intend to go to college in the US you need to make sure you include the required HS courses for admission to schools that may interest you. Most have similar requirements including so many years in sciences, math and literature. You can look up a few US colleges- public and private- at top and lesser tiers for this information on their freshman admissions websites.</p>
<p>I tried to read the original post…but the lack of paragraph format made it very hard to read.</p>
<p>IF you hope to attend college in the U.S., it is important to take the courses colleges exoect HS stidents to take.</p>
<p>In addition, if you will need to take the SAT or ACT test. You might also need to take the TOEFL. </p>
<p>And lastly, you need to look at your finances as well. Some colleges do not grant aid to international students at all. Some grant limited aid. Others grant the same aid as for citizens here…but are highly competitive schools. And some colleges will consider your ability to pay when they consider your application for admission.</p>
<p>Sorry, but I too could not make it through your very long post. If you’d like to post a MUCH shorter version, I bet you’ll get some responses. </p>
<p>What are you really asking for advice about? People here will be happy to give you advice, but you have to be clearer and more concise.</p>
<p>i don’t know if i made it more clear or just wrote again what its written above, i swear i tried to make it shorter but its complicated and not just one single problem , i know its not possible to read all this but its just my situation right now and i don’t even know where the exact problem is </p>
<p>i wanna thank everyone who commented and tried to understand , really massive thank you , and im sorry if it was too long and you couldn’t understand , but again thank you so much for showing that you care or ready to give an advice , i will try to explain my situation correctly this time , </p>
<p>so to be clear, i’m not from the US , i know this site is for students , parents from the us helping each other in college stuff , admissions , i want your help in that subject , but i know its not my right to write here , but i know a lot of you guys didn’t and won’t mind giving me some opinions and even general thoughts , cause its a related theme after all.</p>
<p>and i wanna apologize for my bad english and grammar , but i hope you’ll understand</p>
<p>so i’m from egypt , 17 , in high school , sophomore , last year i had to make the decision between two sections , science and literature one , here you have to make these decisions early , you don’t just complete you high school , get accepted in a college and think about your options , in the end of the freshman year , you decide between these 2 sections , and each one of them will lead to different ways , college , in the future ,careers , i know its the system here and for many years people been doing this , but my problem is i’m afraid i chose the wrong path , i was 16 , i know i was mature enough to take the decision , but its just that my whole life is based on that decision , </p>
<p>i will explain , if you choose the science section , you have all the choices , in the end of your sophomore year , you’ll have to choose between science and math , if you chose math , your options are faculty of engineering , CS or faculty of science ,you can’t get to medicine school , dentistry , pharmacy , and if you chose the science section , you can to these faculties (med,ect) but can’t go to engineering or CS , and then there’s the literature sec. from this one you cant go to any of the colleges i mentioned , your choices are , economics/poli.sci , law , commerce , arts, education ,but these you can go to them from the math and science sections too </p>
<p>in the literature one , we study history , geography , Philosophy and Psychology in the science sec. they study physics , chemistry , biology , and geology , in the maths sec , they study pure and applied maths , physics and biology</p>
<p>you can see why students in the literature sec. are considered the failures and stupid ones , cause they think its all about your ability to memorize</p>
<p>if you chose a section , your not done yet , here its all about the "percentage of your grades " , its the total of your grades in the third year of high school that you’ll get you to be accepted in college , the total is from 410 points , per example , med school takes from 98% , if you get 97,9% you can’t go to it , you go the faculty after in the percentage like dentistry or something , i know its not easy to understand but that’s the way its here </p>
<p>last year i chose the literature sec. , cause i want to go to economics/poli.sci school , so as you can see i kinda of limited my options </p>
<p>i really don’t know whats my exact problem , but i’m trying to explain the whole situation so you’ll get the whole image .</p>
<p>there’re too many sides of my problem , here the ones in the literature (more like humanities ) are usually considered the failures and stupid ones , i know its not a problem , that i’m being unrealistic , i shouldn’t care about what people think especially in a stupid society like this one , but i think its a part of the problem , cause i was always looked at as a good student , not a nerd or a genius , but always had good grades , so i’m kinda regretting the situation i put myself in , but again i know if this will get me to the college i want there’s no problem</p>
<p>i had good grades cause i knew how to study right before the exam , but in my last year in middle school i had bad grades in maths cause i studied it the day right before the exam , but i passed anyway , </p>
<p>last year first i said i wanted to go to the science sec. , my mum said that its hard and that i won’t succeed in it , she thinks that its all about your abilities , some excel im science subjects , others in humanities and social sciences , she says that she saw that in me , other thing is that i really like reading , politics and economy stuff , she says that im really reasonable in these things , not only her but also my uncle and sisters , she says that i could be a good journalist if i worked hard , because i write good essays and stuff</p>
<p>but i don’t know if they’re right </p>
<p>and then comes my choice , eco/poli.sci school , i dont know why but i really liked it , i searched the courses , and got interested , i imagined myself studying these things , i always wanted to know more about politics ,economy and these stuff , but i afraid of too many things </p>
<p>that maybe i liked it because i knew i could get to it more easily than to other faculties , im afraid i took the easy way by choosing the literature sec. , that i took i decision my whole life is based on without considering my chances in the right way </p>
<p>and there’s what will i do after the college , i cant imagine myself as a doctor , like being responsible about others’ lifes , or even being a dentist , working with blood and stuff like that , or even being a pharmacist or studying chemistry or physics or math , i don’t know , maybe its too soon to decide?</p>
<p>i’m afraid i will regret any of these decisions years from now , i think about the jobs , the salaries , that i should have worked hard to get to med-school or dentistry just to have a settled future like they say , but its not right to choose a career based on how much money you’ll make of it right ? </p>
<p>but again i don’t know if i really don’t want these things, how can i be sure ?</p>
<p>i think maybe i should have done like others , who didn’t decide the faculty they want yet , so they chose the science sec. cause it has more options , then i would work so hard in it to get a good percentage then think about my options , but again , it feels like gambling ! like i’m risking my whole future , as i said , 0,1% can change my whole future here ! </p>
<p>and my chance of going to the eco/poli,sci school from the literature sec. are much higher than in the science one </p>
<p>but again , if i get to the eco/poli,sci school ,when i imagine myself after 10 years from now like you guys said , i don’t know where will i be , working in bank , stock market , journalist ? i don’t know if i want these things</p>
<p>and even if i switched to the science sec , where will i be , a doctor , dentist , pharmacist , </p>
<p>i know no one is ever sure about anything , that even students in the US and europe ,an other countries , everywhere , have to make decisions like these and take the responsibility of it , but i’m afraid ill regret something i could have changed before </p>
<p>im sorry again for wasting your time and writing here , really sorry !</p>
<p>other thing is that last year , if you compare my grades between humanities and science subjects , they were so similar , if i worked hard i know i will have good grades in both , but again i think maybe my mom was right that its also about your abilities and what you wanna do in the future</p>
<p>i know thing aren’t like that , that i need to get things straight in my mind about what i wanna study and do , but im afraid i will regret these decisions in the future , when i wouldn’t be able to change anything !!!</p>
<p>It sounds like those are very big decisions in your country. When the time came around, is there any reason you were less prepared to make them than the other students?</p>
<p>and about studying in the US , i wish i had that possibility , i have a big chance right now to go to france , cause im in a french school and the french institute help us a lot if some of us want to study in france , but its just not possible , my only way is to stay here and complete my undergraduate studies then think about this , cause im a girl and i bet you guys know things here aren’t that easy specially for girls !! , my mom doesn’t agree </p>
<p>its not like i wasn’t prepared , its always a big decision , most of them choose the science sec as i said cause it has more options , most of us dont know really what we wanna do ,they just go with the flow , try their max , and then go to whatever faculty their percentage gets them</p>
<p>I’m sure things are, well, fine and normal for girls who want to do something that’s culturally accepted. Are you possibly thinking you might like to do something more unusual?</p>
<p>well honestly i just hate everything here , the traditions and all that , things here aren’t flexible , they expect you from really early age to make a big list of decisions , your whole life are based on those decisions , my mother and sisters wonder why im making a big deal of it , that i’m overreacting , other thing is that here they think about college as a fixed duration of your life , like 4 or 5 years after high school , you’ll be around 23 or 24 , then you’ll have to find a job , then start preparing yourself and buying stuff to get marry !!! and other beliefs like that in all sort of things , i dont wanna be like that , spend my life like that , of course i wanna do something unusual , i don’t wanna end up studying something i hate just to get a proper job with a decent stable income and wait till i get married like most girls are taught to do here !! but im afraid i will end up like all of them ,that the pressure and all of these stuff will beat me, that im not that brave to do the unusual ,to take the risks of these decisions</p>
<p>I noticed you mentioned Journalism once. Do you feel like you should help change the system you hate?</p>