While spending yet another ten minutes online without appropriate purpose (oh, don't worry,
people give me plenty, I just choose to ignore it), I stumbled upon a Serbian website. The
article praised Slovene universities. No, not only is it free, it is also your ticket to an amazing
line. Yes, it will take a few years of waiting, but you get a cup of instant capitalism and
opportunity, just a few hundred kilometers from your hometown! Four universities, four
blessings, four-leaf clover! Yes, you can buy future and happiness!
I would love to enlighten you with some short sentence that is bold and reflects several years
of experience and wisdom, connected to real standing of Slovene education system and its
quality. The only problem with such an action is, I am neither experienced nor wise. I can,
however, show you what my, Slovene, people are thinking about such matter. Of course, I do
not speak on behalf of everyone, but only those of the 2 million I had the chance of talking to.
‘’So, you know what you’ll study yet?’’
-‘’Something abroad.’’
It’s not even a matter of field, but of the location. There is a Slovene saying ‘Sosedova trava
je zmeraj bolj zelena’. The neighbor’s grass is always greener. It might be that our vision is
disturbed, but the fact that our north-west ‘neighbors’ have better fertilizers cannot be denied
either.
There is a rule of thumb when it comes to progress we were taught since we were little-
northern country is more developed than the southern. Though that is all it is, an appropriate
measure, we feel the need to move northern. Slovenes to Germany or Austria, Serbs to
Slovenia? I am always fascinated by these great migrations we feel so proud of. ‘’He is in
Germany now. Just look at him, he’s gotten so far.’’
We try to flee the very place you are so eager to squeeze in. Slovenes feel stuck in here, we
feel trapped. Part of that cage is definitely the underlining of each step in our education and
life, whispering that ‘it doesn’t matter since there are no jobs anyways’. Want to be a first-
grade teacher? Sure, just a few connections and five years of experience to your bachelor, you
might get an interview. A psychologist? Why not just start working in a bar straight away and
save yourself the trouble?
Not to say that there is something wrong with being a waitress, but it is usually not your
greatest desire to study drunk men on the other side of the counter after your four (or more)
years of detailed studying human behavior and mental health.
On the other hand of this great pessimistic view, there are amazing benefits when being a
Slovene student. For example, ‘študentski boni’. Coupons for food that cover most or all of
your meals. The best part- almost all restaurants accept them, so there is no fear of unvaried
food. Another great thing- tuition-free universities. Not some, all of them. A huge benefit
when it comes to calculating the expenses. When it comes to that pile behind you called debt.
So, come fast and come all! Slovenia awaits! Someone has to sit on the seats that have been
abandoned by the people that were meant to sit on them, right?