For the majority of candidates, the National Examinations have been completed and, theoretically, the next step is the announcement of their scores. From teachers’ assessments of the level of difficulty of the subjects and information from the examination centers, it appears that the scores will move to last year’s levels.

However, regardless of the grade performance, which is still unknown, and considering that the application for Computer Science will be open, probably for a short period of time, candidates will need to resist the urge to summer relax and study as of now which schools and departments might really interest them. Choosing suitable studies for everyone is a personal and time-consuming matter. Or, at least, it should be.

Why does Computer Science need attention from now on?

“The choice of studies is a very important matter and it takes time for the candidate to make the right decisions. That’s why it has to start from now”, said Stratos Stratigakis, mathematician and professional guidance counselor, speaking to APE-MPE.

As he said, the Application Form should reflect the candidate’s true desires and the candidates should make their own decisions regarding the subject of study they are interested in, regardless of their grades, which may disorient them from their desire .

“Of course there is the EBE, which limits the choices of some candidates, but if a candidate decides to study computer science, for example, he can find a school that he will be able to get into, as their bases range from very high up to 9,500 molecules. Something similar happens with most schools, except, of course, for the sought-after medical, legal and psychological ones, which always maintain high standards”, he emphasized.

According to Mr. Stratigakis, the application of the Computerized System will work for about 10 days, in order to announce the bases at the end of July. “This time is not enough for second and third thoughts, which sometimes lead to more appropriate choices for the candidate,” he explained.

The selection criteria

For Mr. Stratigakis, the most important criterion for the choice of studies is the studies themselves. “Applicants should carefully study the Study Guide of each school they wish to apply for. It is important that they know what courses they will be asked to read in the coming years, because if they do not like the courses they will not read them, resulting in them not completing their studies, or becoming mediocre students,” he explained.

In addition, candidates should also have the cognitive background to respond to the studies they choose.

The professional prospects of the degree may be the most popular criterion, however, according to the experienced analyst, these prospects are constantly changing, as they depend on the evolution of the economy, “which is unpredictable because we live in a world that changes at a dizzying speed.”

“Of course they will also take into account the professional prospects, but they will not be the first selection criterion”, he emphasized and added: “The professions that the current candidate will practice in his career will be many and different. In addition to his studies, other factors such as his work values ​​will count in his selection.”

A low base does not mean a low school value

One tip for applicants to keep in mind when looking at the Engineering Bulletin is this: a low-ranked school is not necessarily a low-value school.

“The basis of a school and its value are completely different concepts and we should not equate them”, emphasized Mr. Stratigakis.

“Applicants, quite often, consider the base to be the value of a school. So they think that a school with a high base is good, which is not true. A school’s base expresses the demand for studies at that school. Demand is determined by subject, city and degree prospects. Demand does not express value. It may be that a school with a low base is what the candidate wants and another, more highly ranked one, is not what he wants,” he explained.

“I’ve seen graduates leave law school because it wasn’t what they wanted. Every year candidates are admitted to lower ranked schools who have excelled. If we look at the molecules of the first we will see impressive numbers. In the Mathematics department in Patras, for example, the first had 17,876 points while the base of the school was 11,097. With his credits, he could be admitted to any department he wanted; however, he preferred the Mathematics department,” he characteristically said.

From 19 to 30 June the acquisition of a personal code

Candidates interested in submitting a Computerized and/or Parallel Computerized Report should contact their high schools, in order to create a personal security code (password), from June 19 to 30, 2023.

More specifically, the candidates who will come to their High School to create a personal security code are those who have participated in the 2023 GEL or EPAL Nationwide Examinations, and hold or obtain a high school diploma (GEL candidates) and a high school diploma and degree (EPAL candidates), in order to then submit a Computerized Report for their admission to Higher Education and/or a Parallel Computerized Report for their admission to a public Vocational Training Institute (DIEK).

In case a candidate submits both Computerized, the personal security code will be the same. Also, as it has become known, the submission of the Computerized and Parallel Computerized Bulletin will take place during the same time period, which will be announced later.

No prediction is safe

There is no data so far on how this year’s scores of the candidates in the Panhellenic elections will move. According to Giorgos Hatzitegas, education analyst, the information coming from individual grading centers and the teachers’ assessments of the difficulty of this year’s subjects “show” that there will be no changes in the average performance of the candidates.

“The Minimum Admission Base in Humanities is expected to be just above 9, in Positive Studies close to 9.5, in Health Studies close to 9.7 and in Economic Studies just above 8.5,” he estimated.

However, the number of candidates who participated in the All-Hellenic Competitions and by extension their distribution in the four Scientific Fields is still unknown. “So no prediction is safe for the bases. The only thing certain is that 66% of the GEL candidates and 45% of the EPAL candidates will get the ticket for the HEIs, because the EBE as it has been established, is a horizontal algorithm”, he noted.