The university I wanted rejected me and I'm feeling so sad....

[Garlic]

Hello everyone,

I couldn't visit the PF lately, as I was too busy because of the my university enrollment processes.

I wanted to tell this to you later when everything is complete, but..
I finished my High School (German High School in Istanbul) this year, and want to study physics in Germany. After some research, I decided that the Heidelberg University was the best choice for me, but the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and RWTH Aachen were okay, too. As some of you know I'm very interested in physics, especially in nuclear and high energy physics, and those universities had the best research departments.

Now here is where the problem began, I applied to both Universities, and got an acceptance in Karlsruhe and Aachen. But from the Heidelberg University I diddn't get an acceptance, or a refusal. A few days ago I went to Heidelberg because this week my interviews were supposed to take place, but I diddnt get the invitation.

In Germany most of the bachelor physics courses are open admission, as there aren't many people applying for a physics course. But surprisingly, this year Heidelberg University got too many applications in physics, and they had to choose which student to take, and looked in their abitur notes only in physics and mathematics.
In my Abitur, I got 10 in 15 in both mathematics and physics, and as the german PF members probably know, the notes are good, and higher than the average. But with some phone calls to the university personnel, I got the information, that they reduced my notes from 10 to 8.7 *just* because I got my abitur certificate from a foreign german school, and rejected me because 8.7 was too low. Their apparent reason for the reduction of my notes were that my school was easier than the german schools, which is completely wrong and it's the opposite.

And other than that, they diddn't tell me that I was rejected, and I had to come to heidelberg, just because the interviews were taking place only in this week, and in order to go to heidelberg I had to apply for a visa and so on.

Luckily, I met a person, who is very experienced when it comes to such cases like mine, and he helped me, but because the staff in the university prooved so unhelpful about the injustice that happened to me, we couldn't accomplish anything.

At the moment I'm sitting in the cafe in the university campus. Because I was rejected from the university, and because of such a silly reason, I am feeling extremely sad, probably less than 2 in a happiness scale of 10.
I really really wanted to study here.

Today I wandered in the university campus, and visited the physics institute, and talked with some people. It made me much sadder to see that the physics building was so magnificent...

In the end, as I can't afford hiring a lawyer, the only thing there is left to do is to speak with the staff directly, and hope they'll change their opinions..I wanted to share this with the PF, and hope to hear your opinions and thoughts, which are very valuable for me.
(Thank you for reading.)

 

[micromass]

Nothing you can do about it. Accept it and think of something else. You got accepted to some excellent university, so you should be glad.

 

[jedishrfu]

What about talking to the dean of the college of Natural Sciences or the University Chancellor? You can state your case and the fact that the other universities accepted you. Also if you know of any outstanding students (mark the word outstanding don't pick someone who did poorly because they may check grades) that have preceded you to this university.

Don't take this rejection too seriously, sometimes when you run up against this kind of bureaucracy its best to go elsewhere because you know it'll happen again for a different problem.

Its kind of like being promised a raise after X months of working at a new company and then being told that "Well they don't have the money now" but "Hey, why not wait a bit longer and we promise to give you one, honest!". When I hear that line, I run like the wind. It happened to a close friend once.

 

[tionis]

but because the staff in the university prooved so unhelpful about the injustice that happened to me, we couldn't accomplish anything.

Sorry they put the kibosh on your application to your fave uni. Do you think it has something to do with you being a foreign student?

 

[Choppy]

Sad to hear that it didn't work out. Unfortunately this might just have to be one of those pills that you have to swallow and move on. While the righteous thing to do might be to fight this, it just might not be worth it.

I'm not sure how it works in the German system, but since you got into another university you might want to consider attending that school for your first year and then transferring if that's possible. Alternatively, you could wait and then apply to this school for a PhD if that's what you end up doing.

Either way, the point is to focus on doing the best you can with the opportunity you have.

 

[Crush1986]

I'm sure an overwhelming majority don't get into their first pick or "dream school." I know I didn't.

Just go to the one you like most that you got into. It will all work out.

 

[ebos]

In several years as you sit back polishing your Nobel prize, you will look back on this time and laugh.

 

[Garlic]

Thank you so much for replying. In the last few days I was too busy, I couldn't reply, but I have red your comments and they really made me feel better. In the few days since, most of the problems are settled. I kinda gave up trying to find another way to enter Heidelberg University now. I visited the Karlsruhe Imstitute of Technology and decided it was okay for me to study physics there. I am going to apply for the Heidelberg University in the next Semester. (I really hope that I can keep my grades high, so that they accept me).

I want to thank you for cheering me up

What about talking to the dean of the college of Natural Sciences or the University Chancellor? You can state your case and the fact that the other universities accepted you.

We have already talked with the dean of physics on the telephone, he was the one who told me that they decreased my notes, only because I diddn't get my Abitur certificate from a school in Germany. A friend of mine gave me an idea to go to the university and talk with the dean of physics face to face, to show that I'm so interested in physics and suitable for the physics studies. At first the idea seemed good, it was going to be the last chance for me, but later I thought that there was no chance that they could chance their opinions, because they are just following the rules.

Also if you know of any outstanding students (mark the word outstanding don't pick someone who did poorly because they may check grades) that have preceded you to this university.

Can they really do that? But how?

Do you think it has something to do with you being a foreign student?

I am not an international student. Because I did Abitur (the german exam for entering college), I am a so called http://www.uni-regensburg.de/ur-international/international-students/application-admission-registration/how-to-apply/ (apparently there isn't any english translations of the word) and I have the right to join an university in the german quota. But just because I did my Abitur in Turkey, not in Germany, they are decreasing my notes, and therefore decreasing the chances to enter the university. This is totally unfair.

In several years as you sit back polishing your Nobel prize, you will look back on this time and laugh.

But I thought it was so, that induvidual physicists rarely get a nobel prize themselves, but the research group gets one (which then stands in the cabinet you don't have the keys).