4 Signs You’ve Chosen The Wrong Degree Course
You should be passionate about the university degree you’re enrolled upon.
That said, very few degree courses are ever perfect from start to finish, and it’s common for young scholars to wonder if they’re at something of a crossroads. Students can alter their educational plans for all sorts of reasons, but realising that they’re on the wrong academic path is one of the most common reasons to make changes. Of course, such shifts shouldn’t be made lightly, and it can be hard to know when switching degree courses is viable and justified.
How can you know you’ve chosen the wrong degree course? Read on for some of our suggestions as to what the signs might entail.
You Were Pressured Into It
Not everybody enrols on a degree of their own volition alone. Their paths can be an amalgamation of other people’s influence and opinions.
After all, some people feel pressured to go to university in the first place. Parents may think they know what’s best for you, but your life is in your own hands as soon as you turn 18. Therefore, if your degree isn’t working for you, it’s worth drowning out the thoughts and opinions of others. Appeal only to what it is you want from your academic career.
The source of your feelings of pressure may not be obvious at first. Consequently, it could be worth reexamining your relationships with others, even if you have only mild suspicions of feeling unsettled. Do your parents have specific career goals for you? Did your former teachers strongly encourage you to walk a particular path? Did school career counsellors have a say?
You Can Find Something Better Fast
A degree course should invigorate you and inspire further interests. It should also appeal to your life plans, at least launching you on a vague trajectory of where you’d like your future career to go. If you find your attention drifting elsewhere, it could be somewhat telling.
You shouldn’t feel aimless and apathetic about your degree course. While lull periods exist in any walk of life, it might be that potentially finding something ‘better’ gives you a kick that your current degree course does not. Therefore, it might be worth doing some independent research to see if any of your findings excite you.
For example, you could potentially find a course at Stirling University that excites you. You can filter your search based on campus, online, or hybrid learning requirements and more. There’s a wide breadth of courses, too, including those in finance, teaching, and nursing, to name a few. A search here could send you down many curious trains of thought until you find your true calling.
Of course, it’s healthy to have multiple interests to some extent. However, if you find that your heart yearns for a more stimulating intellectual experience that better appeals to your future plans, a change could be needed. Keep the potential long-term consequences of your decision in mind at all times.
You Skip Lectures
It’s not uncommon for university students to skip lectures. However, something more serious could be afoot if you miss lecture after lecture. After all, you’d essentially be getting into £9k a year debt
just to read notes online, or in the worst cases, to fall behind with your studies completely by not catching up at all. Having these factors in mind should inspire you to turn things around, but you must note them if they sap your motivation further.
Remember, universities aren’t like schools. Not every lecturer is fully invested in whether one slacker student changes their ways or not. You may not receive a rude awakening regarding your attendance, so it’s best to know how often you’re absent. Skipping the odd lecture isn’t a huge crisis, but your chances of success will dwindle dramatically if a pattern starts to form. What’s the point of continuing in such circumstances?
You Don’t Care About Underperforming
It can take some time to realise your heart’s not truly in something. Many moments of clarity happen when marks are received on tests and papers.
Scoring a low mark does not directly mean that the degree program is not for you. If you’re motivated and prepared to work hard, it can be a wake-up call that inspires you to turn things around. However, how frequently these bouts of bad luck occur can be telling. Your response to poor feedback can also reveal much.
Apathy is the real enemy in universities. Even the institutions themselves can underperform drastically. These environments are supposed to compel you into action, but if you find yourself resigning yourself to a grim fate rather than taking control of it, it may be a sign your degree program is not for you.
Many people coast by in university and skip over the feedback they receive. If you don’t feel incentivised to keep building on your skills, why bother attending your current degree course? Ultimately, you should push your boundaries and capabilities throughout your studies.
