Figuring Out What to Study in School Through Exploration

On a train back to London from Oxford at the weekend break, I sat alongside a very pleasant 15-year-old, who in spite of not having also finished her GCSE training courses, currently had a pretty excellent idea of what she wished to study at university, as well as where. (If you’re 15 and have no idea, don’t worry that’s quite regular!) By way of explaining her enthusiasm for finding things out, she informed me, amongst several other things, why the sky appears blue, why witches are portrayed putting on pointy hats, and where J.R. Tolkien got his motivation for The Hobbit. Maddy gladly confessed to being a ‘geek’. By this, she implied she really liked discovering. Of course, this may seem incredibly cheesy (as well as incredibly apparent) but this really pointed out to me the significance of discovering what you really enjoy or could potentially enjoy doing. The fact is that if you wind up choosing a program for reasons besides being really, truly interested in the material or content that pervades the field, you’re not likely to enjoy it or get the best out of your studies.

And even 18. I repeat: that’s absolutely fine. However, if you are one of those individuals that are really uncertain about what to focus on in school, don’t just choose anything and hope it works out. There are many options you can make use of, to ensure you actually obtain the most out of a degree programme, in regards to both enjoyment and also academic success.

It’s more likely to be particularly hard to make decisions regarding the future when you are occupied with tests and exams, school work, university applications and so forth. You might want to take a moment if you can afford it, to explore and discover different courses. One way to taste and get a feel for various topics is by taking free online programmes or short courses.

If you’re able to, attempt taking a short program in the subject probably as a night class, part-time training course or holiday program. This can be especially valuable if you want to check out a core curriculum you haven’t had the chance to examine before. Get hold of some books on the topic, and see whether you’re captivated by or interested in them or otherwise! 

As much as you can, attend university open days, open lectures and fairs if there are universities close to you. Talking to people who teach the subject, students currently enrolled in the programme or professionals currently working in the field can offer you a lot more of a feel for what it’s actually like, the sort of topics covered, the style of lecturing, mentoring and researching, as well as the prospects in the field.

If you’re still not exactly sure, the next best tip I can think of is to select a university with a versatile and flexible system. That will enable you to check out more than one subject area, and if needed to change your mind. In North America, for instance, it’s allowed to spend the first two years of a bachelor’s degree covering a variety of subjects, before picking a major. Unfortunately, this is not necessarily the case in most universities in Nigeria. Although, you can change departments in many Nigerian institutions albeit at some costs.

Other institutions will provide some allowance for students to take a minimum of some modules from other courses. It’s additionally worth asking exactly how easy it is to change courses if you do have a change of mind especially in terms of cost and procedure. It can be quite stressful in some Nigerian institutions so you want to do your research first. And of course, another excellent method for discovering what might be an appropriate course for you is to use a good course matching tool.

Indeed, choosing a major field of study can be a tough one. As a matter of fact, in one survey, it was found that about 61% of university graduates agreed that they would prefer to change their major if they could go back to school. This is why today’s aspiring university students are encouraged to consider and weigh their options carefully before choosing an area of focus that could potentially take four to five years of their life to complete.