There are so many great things about being Egyptian, from our culture to the people, no one comes close to us. However, once you get to that age where you’ve finished your first year of university and it’s time to declare a major, think hard about what you decide to study.
A typical expectation is that you will study business, engineering or medicine, and if you decide that maybe you would be better suited in a social science you best believe that it’s worth it.
Coming from someone who’s actually studying a social science, trust me: You better be ready to explain yourself to every aunt and uncle who have been telling you that business is the only way to go.
These are the typical reactions you’re going to get from friends and family:
Your father giving you the “You really expect me to pay for that?” speech
There’s a pretty high chance that your father is going to sit you down and lecture you about how he is only willing to pay for your next four years in university if you end up taking over his company.
Every Egyptian father expects their children to one day take over the family business, so be ready to explain to him how you aren’t interested in the stock market, because from experience, it’s not a fun conversation.
Your mother telling you that she “just wants you to be happy”
Mothers tend to be super supportive of these kinds of decisions. If you can give them a good reason for studying philosophy, then you’re pretty much set. Of course, if you get anything lower than a 4.0 GPA, they will murder you, but that’s another story.
The uncle who doesn’t know what social psychology is
If you come from a typical Egyptian family, it’s very likely that your relatives won’t know certain majors that are offered today, so make sure you have your speech about how the study of the mind is important ready because you will probably need to use it a few times.
Your friend who just laughs and thinks you’re joking
No, I’m not joking, I actually want to work in mass media. Your friends who are taking medicine will probably laugh at you and tell you that you’re being lazy because you don’t want to do a “real degree”. Of course, they think that anything other than medicine is a joke, so make sure you have some facts ready to shut them up.
The grandmother who just wants to know when you’re going to get married
Most grandmothers wait for the day that their grandchildren get married, so don’t be surprised if they don’t even care what you want to study. As long as you’re looking for your future wife or husband, they don’t need to hear about anything else.
The best friend who just thinks you’re an idiot
If your best friends are anything like mine, they are going to think that your retarded behaviour in front of them means that you actually are too stupid to study engineering.
It’s safe to say that they are the idiots for thinking that politics doesn’t require just as much work. Yes, Farah, I’m taking about you, I swear I’m smart.
WE SAID THIS: Don’t miss 12 Signs You Have An Egyptian Dad.