Can a smile motivate you?

Sometimes my sister calls me crazy because i talk to strangers in social gatherings or bars. I call it being social and things like the one i am going to describe next are selfproof that it is worth it.

One and a half month ago we had the carnival here in Kalamata for the second year running. It was much better organized than the first one though the weather spoiled it a bit in the end. There we were in our favorite rock bar with my amazing friend aggeliki and behind me sat a cute little girl with some books. Books in a rock bar @ 11 am baffled me so i started a conversation with her and her sister. Now we are all best pals and i just love them. So this is a pointless little post just for me to inspire and instill some love and confidence to our little girl who has her last school exams in two months time and to also show our support for her ahead of the rough times.

Here enters Vicky:

Carnival vampire atmosphere

  

Her sister is shy as you can see.

Everytime i see her i forget whatever i am doing and just go give her a massive hug and a big lift. I think last time i told her around 37 times in the same night that i love her. Don't let her classy looks fool you, she is going to be a kick-ass criminologist! Also for some uknown reason i feel very happy around her, must be her energy and positivity, she, her pesky sister and aggeliki give some colour in my life and that is needed in these times of severe depression.

But enough words for tonight, it was going to be a short post and a declaration of love! Everybody wish Vicky success in her exams and we hope to have her with us in Sweden one day!

Good grief!

 

Key deadlines and some personal tips

It has been a few days since i last posted that article about my friends but work is killing me here. I will make a short post about the key deadlines regarding admission in Swedish Master Programmes.

There are generally 2 admission rounds for each semester, Autumn and Spring. All applicants are advised to apply on the early round otherwise your application might/will be considered late and if your programme is popular you might regret that. I will focus on the early rounds.

For the Spring semester (courtesy of universityadmissions.se): 

•  3 June: Online service opens
• 15 August: Admission application deadline at midnight CET
• 2 September: Deadline for receipt of supporting academic documents (all applicants) and documentation of fee exempt status (if required)
• 2 September: Deadline for receipt of application fee (if required)
• 24 October: First Notification of Selection Results
• 6 November: Last date to reply to your offer
• 14 November: Second Notification of Selection Results (no reply required)

For the Autumn semester:

• 17 October: The on-line application service opens (please note that not all courses and programmes will be available for application from 16 October to 1 December)
• 2 December: The entire catalogue of courses and programmes for autumn 2014 available for application
• 15 January: Admission application deadline at midnight CET
• 3 February: Deadline for receipt of supporting academic documents (all applicants) and documentation of fee exempt status (if required)
• 3 February: Deadline for receipt of application fee (if required)
• 27 March: First Notification of Selection Results
• 10 April: Last date to reply to your offer
• 25 April: Second Notification of Selection Results (no reply required)

And a few random tips that come to mind:

1. Apply early, do not procrastinate.
2. Send papers early so you don't risk you application being late. Some programmes are very competitive and you do not want to end up in reserve slot number 196.
3. When translating your papers and certify them, save an extra copy, as you will need it upon arrival/admission in the university.
4. Do not go crazy about merit ratings (some sort of evaluation points).
5. Do not hesitate to call and ask about your application, they are very helpful.

Well these basic info cover the key dates and with the champions league QF in a bit it's time for me to vanish like the ninja i am. See you at next post and hopefully in Sweden!

Yes, me.

Past recent memories

Tired from typing and work, but with such a good mood from yesterday's admission news that i just can't stop. I will make a short post regarding my current best friends, sadly scattered around Greece.

Pointy ears in the middle

The middle one is Sakis from Thessaloniki, a town that i have massive affection for. We met in a concert appreciating mutually a woman's bottom. He is a great guy and a reliable person. Great times. Guy on the left is a random Cypriot dude.

And lets go to my harem.

Feeling special

From left to right: 

• My beloved Mary and her sister Viktoria, photo taken on our trip to Rhodes island this August, i love them.
• The exotic Sandy whom i mistook for a Russian girl and tried to hit on her. She is so sweet she has a great store with cosmetics in Thessaloniki https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sandys-cosmetics-and-accessories/536512946442593
• Her friend Alexia who i also met there in the airport and we bonded so much. She lives in Cyprus and i miss her so much.

 And my saviour of New Year's Eve when i would have probably slept on the street Xaris XXXlovesACMILANxxX (Also the only person i keep contact from the army camp, which says a lot about his quality):

Hint. Not the weird guy that is smoking.

 

This concludes one more fantastic article because i am tired and i need sleep to get through the upcoming night. Peace brodahs

Required paperwork, useful sites and basic deadlines for master studies in Sweden

It was a total chaos to be honest when i started looking for info, but i guess that happens when you delve into unknown territory for the first time in anything. So lets start with the basics.

First of all the future applicant should make an account in http://universityadmissions.se/. That is the central site that handles the applications for all the universities in Sweden. They receive the paperwork and after you have clearance that you meet the requirements, they send them to the universities that you have chosen in order for them to make the selection. Then depending if you qualify or not, your status in the site changes and you await the official release of merit ratings and admissions.

Generally the site is very helpfull and provides good information about what you need to send, and how to send it. The papers needed have to be sent to university admissions and NOT the university that interests you. So lets get everything on a quick list:

1. Bachelor's Degree on the same or relevant field with the program you are interested in. Most have also required credits in some area, such as Maths or Law or Physics.
2. Proof of Proficiency in English (Advanced degree+, or a particular score in IELTS/TOEFL).
3. Official Transcript of records from your previous studies.
4. Cover Letter, also know as letter of intent or motivations.
5. Proof of European Union citizenship/EEA

The 3 first are mantandory, while the Cover Letter is needed only if stated on the program you are interested. Some additional information from Miss Information here:

 Villain or Ally?

1.  Your diplomas/degrees/transcripts need to be officially translated in english and certified by ie. a lawyer.
2. Proof of EU/EEA is needed in order not to pay the tuition fee/application fee. International students can apply for scholarships from the Swedish institute.

In a nutshell: Register on universityadmissions.se -> Find interesting master programme -> Gather and send all papers to ua.se -> Wait for eligibility status -> wait for merit ratings IF eligible -> Admission.

There is actually so many things to cover and miss information is a bit tired from working overtime today so enough with the application process, so the last tip of the day is that you can choose up to 4 programmes on your application, which you can prioritize however you want and change them as many times as you wish untill the application deadline (February 3).

I might be back with some random rambling later on with whatever comes to my mind.

PS. Venia you are a greek peasant and when you swear you are like a komodo dragon's breath ( love you! <3)

Always dripping love and proderm

Master Programme in Earth Science Hydrology/Hydrogeology, Uppsala University: ADMITTED You have replied: YES

How does someone start typing random thoughts to form a blog, a text, a book or an essay always confounded and astonished me at the same time. And as a person that speaks his mind regardless of how relevant, stupid or amazing his thoughts are, I am going to follow this rule to the end.
This is pretty much a blog that will cover my life as a graduate student in Uppsala, Sweden, along with the road and hiccups i encounter/ed on my way there.

Credit to the name and the inspiration behind this blog if anyone bothers to read it or find it helpfull should go to Uppsala Universitet for providing me with the opportunity to delve into the fantastic world of hydrogeology and most importantly Cassie Richardson and her fantastic blog http://cassiegoesabroad.wordpress.com/ Thank you Cassie.

So let me tell you some basic stuff about myself first, to get things rolling. My name is Kostas and i am from Southern Greece, in a town called Kalamata. I am 26 years old, with a Bsc. in Environmental Sciences and i work as an official reseller for FAGE Dairy Products. I speak English, French, Russian and i am about to start learning Swedish and after that probably Spanish so i can safely make the dream destination, California. Brilliant stuff. I actually convinced some girls once that i am a ninja and i hunt bears. So i guess i can pass around as anything. Great stuff.

My life on a nutshell? I finished school, went to university, got into a 5 year relationship, bought a Cocker Spaniel, gifted it to my girlfriend, joined the Hellenic Helicopter Division in the army to complete my military obligations, my girlfriend found a boyfriend through our dog, i lost my dog, my girlfriend, my sanity and bla bla bla. I regained my composure, propelled into PuA stardom (maybe some other time i will explain what that means), finished the army, applied for master's programmes in Sweden and here i am, having received the official confirmation of admission today! Oh and that's when i became a ninja.

I remember sucking every bit of info out of Cassie's intro posts and i remember how about people asked her if she was nervous. Well calmness is my trait, as well as a tiny bit of arrogance and huge amount of confidence, which explains why i was playing football manager waiting casually for the results to surface, while Eua (a friend) was ready to jump out of the balcony if she was not admitted.

I am not sure how often i will write for now but i guess it will vary a lot depending on my obligations and work. The only certain thing is that this journey has just begun and we will discuss my aspirations sometime later. Next post i am going to try and explain the admission process and my own experience, the do's and don't's and try to provide some helpful information about future applicants who consider Sweden as their next destination.

Good night with a picture of the dog that started it all!

Say hi to Flicka!