First, let it be stated that I am a mockery of a social human being. Hence a Saturday night is merely one night among others. This is why I have spent the past hour trying to sum up my Bachelor's Degree studies together. I have completed all the courses, and yet it appears that I am lacking one study point in my major's basic studies, but instead have two extra study points in my major's intermediate studies. Alas, these two are separated in the Bachelor Diploma, which is why I cannot be lacking anything anywhere. The two extras cause even further problems. Sure, it's nice to have two extra points for the same work as everyone else; unfortunately, the other of those two is in completely wrong place! It has been added to a course which, combined with its twin course, make up seven points which *should* be max. six points the purpose of which is to replace some other courses.
A similar case is in my minor's basic studies: I have two extra credits, resulting in my having twenty-seven points where I *should* have twenty-five.
All this is due to the so-called academic development. You may have heard of this degree renovation/"tutkintouudistus" thing. Practically it means as follows:
1) What used to be one degree has noe become two separate degrees, Bachelor and Master they're called. Unfortunately one doesn't get a job with a mere Bachelor's (at least in Finland) so it's pretty much useless; in other words it's bureaucratic bullshit which looks good on paper and pays some poor bastard's paycheque.
2) All of the courses have been through great changes. Most have had their name changed, for instance, "18th and 19th century British Prose" has become "Classics of English Literature 2". Many courses have also been blened in each other: many a student have been using the essential Finnish vocabulary when realising they've got credit for the other but not the other (note that these courses are always compulsory!).
3) Technically, this falls under the previous category, but the rant turned out to be so long it deserves its own number. Not only have the names and contents of the courses changed but also the entire credit system has been changed. What used to be a study *week* is now a study *point*. Now, I started in the university during the time they still used the old system; however, it was more beneficial for me to jump to the new system (as me and every single other old student was encouraged to do). It was supposed to be part of the deal that they change all of the credit acquired according to the old system to fit the needs of the new one. But as it so happens, it doesn't do that. Whoever is responsible for changing the credits hasn't been earning their paycheque, since they haven't summed up the credit to check that it really does meet the requirements. But no, it would be far too difficult to take the calculator, open the study guide and see that the two figures match.
4) They've been in such a hurry to jump from the old system to the new one that even the study councellors and the rest of the bureaucrat personel don't themselves know all that needs to be known. The whole mayhem can be described with this metaphor: a child sticks his wet finger in a plug to see what happens. For example, the course "Information Retrieval and Information Literacy 1" is a compulsory course for everyone, but it's also a whole new course. This course used to be part of the B.A. Thesis (which I passed according to the new system). So, I have all the knowledge provided in the previous course as I agreed with all the study councellors. That one bloody study point the course is worth should "appear" in my credits "some time", according to the councellors. Too bad none of them was capable of giving me even a guesstimated time when it will "appear" there. This is why, of the compulsory language/communication/methodology studies, I am lacking one more study point of the total twenty (the rest nineteen I have already passed and been credited).
Nice isn't it. I doubt they can actually go changing the already given credits. "Let's take this one from the intermediate studies and put it to the basic studies, now you have the right number on the basics. But then there's that one extra in the intermediate still... well, let's put it to the selective studies catefory, okay? Now you have less courses to pass in that category. Oh, right, the two extras on the minor... well, let's just put them to the selective studies category, too."
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"Intelligence, it seems, is what makes one possible to survive without education. Education, in turn, seems to be what makes one possible to survive without using their intelligence."
A.E. Wiggam
And to continue with the Adams quotes... "Sorry for the inconvenience" (God's final message to His creation).
