Lack of Academic Direction? Here is Some Advice on How to Choose a University Program
Choosing a university program is an important step for everyone, since it determines a great deal of our future. The process of identifying what you want to do and finding the adequate academic program for that can be a bit of a hassle, confusing at times, and it can involve a lot of pressure.
What are you going to study? There’s little time left to decide! Have you chosen a university yet? What area do you want to pursue? Maybe these questions are familiar to you because you’ve heard them at family gatherings or while hanging out with your friends. If every time somebody asks you one of these questions you feel like you’re having a crisis, here are some steps to help you choose an academic program.
- What do I Want to Do?
The first step is getting to know yourself and finding out what it is that you like doing. Maybe you love helping other people or maybe you prefer to spend your time cooking. Maybe you’re a fan of dental hygiene or you’re usually the one to organize camping trips.
Liking books better than calculators is one of those sings that you need to start identifying. Oftentimes we ignore the different signs that can help us have a better sense of our academic direction.
- Take a Test
If you can’t identify any signs of what you like, a career test might be of great help to guide your decision. Lots of platforms and educational institutions offer this type of surveys for free.
You can find some options to take career tests in another one of our articles.
- Do Your Research
Once you’ve identified what you want to pursue, you need to start doing research on the different programs available that are related to the area you’re interested in, be it medicine, finance, the humanities, among others.
- Seek Help from a University
Once you’re clear on your top 3 preferences, you can reach out to the universities where they offer these programs. Don’t be afraid to call or sending an e-mail, they’ll always be willing to guide you, tell you more about the programs or the application process.
Here you can learn all about the institutions that are part of Learn Chile.
- It’s Your Choice
During a time of confusion, when we don’t know what to choose for our future, it is normal to feel pressured and question oneself constantly. But remember that the most important thing is that it’s your choice and no one else’s.
Finally, you’re the one making choices about your future, and even though it’s always good to take advice, it’s not okay to be influenced by comments that will only make us feel even more confused about what we really want.