Thursday, May 28, 2009

I Miss IGCSE :(

IGCSE days.. What can I say? They were the best days in my educational life!

Currently I'm a junior undergraduate student at the Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria University, Computer and Systems Engineering Department. And even though I graduated from IGCSE in August 2005, but I still miss my IGCSE days so much :(

I can't really compare the style of education and the system I had at IGCSE with the current university system (which is totally chaotic).

When I was at IGCSE, I used to excel and at the same time be happy and be able to have a life.. Now, if I really want to excel, it's impossible to do so using the same studying techniques that I used as an IGCSE student and that I fought so hard to learn. Those techniques and facilities made education so enjoyable..We practiced and experienced: understanding, application, practice related to theory, quality of learning, learning useful modern stuff, using detailed and nice text books, having venues that can accomodate us comfortably, dealing with a very well-organized administration at Cambridge University (International Examinations), great activities and extracurricular events and competitions.. lots and lots of stuff..

At the Cambridge Excellence Awards Ceremony
British Council Alexandria, March 2006

When I was an IGCSE student, I was so successful because I liked what I was doing.. As for now, things are just out of control.. Regulations change at university according to no regular standard, nothing is systematic, nothing is measured, nothing is organized at all!

I really miss IGCSE.. I miss having an education where I actually learn and understand not just memorize and be spood-fed .. I miss talking and making suggestions and be heard, coz I was a very active well-known IGCSE student, I was even once invited to a special lunch with the British Minister for Culture, Media and Sport and the British Ambassador to Egypt. I also took part in many activities with the British Council..

Those who think we were pampered at IGCSE are totally wrong, IGCSE is not like the American Diploma (sorry guys!).. We learned MORE and had harder times than people who are in the Egyptian Thanaweyya Amma, I myself went to school (Alexandria International School) everyday and I didn't go even for once to private lessons or classes.. What made things easier for us is that we actually LOVED what we did, we chose our own subjects, and we learned with PASSION.. We had 3 years of high school (not just two like in thanaweyya amma), with hardly a one-month vacation a year, and we still enjoyed what we did to the fullest!

I know things at IGCSE are different now, especially at my ex-school, but no matter how different they are, and no matter what.. IGCSE is in my eyes the unique model for ideal and REAL education that lasts forever..

Some of writings and memories when I was at IGCSE --> My IGCSE page:
http://123toto.tripod.com/id31.html


Some pages about the excellence award ceremony I took part in on our lovely IGCSE website FlyingColours:
http://www.flyingcolours.org.uk/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=649


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