Every year as soon as the exams are over, a great number of students compete to enroll in universities and colleges. A great question then comes up for the new graduates — what shall they study? Or as the Americans say, what shall they major in? It is certainly important since it will obviously affect one’s entire life. While young men have a number of majors to choose from, women have fewer. The limitations in fields of study, a complicated registration system and even qualification tests are among the obstacles faced by young women. Although it has been a long time since higher education became available to women, there are still some limitations. From what is offered, the women of course try to choose a major that will at least guarantee them a job.
Scientific majors would probably be the first choices if students’ averages permitted. The large number of applicants in recent years, however, has encouraged faculty members to set further tests to choose the most qualified. One young woman, a brilliant student who was ranked third among the Kingdom’s Top 10 students, chose medicine. Her average was 99.9 which would surely get her into whatever major she chose. Surprisingly, her scores did not get her in. “All the applicants had to take a standard written exam to evaluate the students’ general information. The exam was fine but the additional interviews were very unfair,” she explained. Every girl who passed was interviewed by a different committee. The interviews were all based on personality tests. The assessment varied, however, depending on the mood of the group and the way they asked their questions. Many students were turned down in spite of high grades.
Another obstacle arises when a student is forced to go through the process of choosing a major a second time. One woman was rejected by all the medical colleges she applied to. She commented, “Almost 1,800 male and female students took a standard exam set for the candidates in the medical colleges. I was among those who were rejected. When I asked for the reason, I was told they didn’t know! I think one reason might have been the large number of students. Now I will have to go through it all over again. My options are limited now.”
Another excellent student closed her eyes to any idea of medical colleges. “The complicated registration process is a headache which I spared myself,” she said. “I know that the best job for me would be teaching so I applied to the College of Education. Of course, English was among my requests as it is the No. 1 language in the world. It would definitely help me find a job. Still I wish there were more options. For instance, women may have an aptitude for engineering but that is not an option for them.”
Yet another student agrees completely. As with many others, she chose a major that she felt would help her get a job. “It seems that the jobs offered to women, besides the medical ones, are teaching and administration. There are plenty of other fields that are suitable for women but they are not available here. What about fashion, interior design or even architecture? These course would not only give Saudi women more choices but would also help them in the job market.” It is also interesting that despite the increasing number of Saudi women journalists, no Saudi university offers degrees in Media or Mass Communication.
In conclusion, limiting the options available to women certainly contributes to their frustration. And, as one woman suggested, “if opening new colleges is difficult, I suggest that existing colleges add new majors.” The College of Languages and Translation in Riyadh, for example, offers a degree in translation in almost all major languages for male students; yet for women it offers degrees in only English or French. The College of Computer Sciences is another example that offers only one specialty to women as against five for men.