“… choosing a major isn’t as easy as ordering your favourite food. ” ~~ Franklin H. Ezenwa, Be A High Achiever book
For certain things in life, there’s neither a black or white area for taking action, but when it comes to reasons for selecting a program or major or course at school, I think you can clearly tell what’s black or white.
These are tonnes of questionable reasons students select a program or course; here’re some common ones I’ve heard students give when posed with the questions:
“Why did you select that course?” Or “Why did you enroll in this program?”
Reason #1 : “All my friends selected it”
Most times people get caught up in the bandwagon effect and blindly follow the crowd. It is good sometimes (of course, only when it yields a positive outcome), but other times it can be an ordeal.
Someone I know once shared with me the story of his experience as a fresher at the university. Having got an admission into a university (with a couple of his friends), he had selected a program in the Sciences only because his friends did the same. His friends performed outstandingly well in their majors because they not only had a passion for the major and the required courses, but they also had a knack for the Sciences in general.
On the other hand, my friend not only struggled with the program, but was literally at the bottom of the class while his friends were way ahead of him. While he remained at the same academic level, repeating several courses, his friends advanced to the next academic level as they soon abandoned him. It was after some deep reflections that he followed his heart and enrolled for a program at which he excelled.
Sadly, he had already spent a year or two drifting from coast to coast and had made no progress in his study, but thank God he later ended well.
The lesson here is straightforward: your friends must not choose major or courses for you – be in charge and choose for yourself.
Reason #2: “It is a piece of cake”
While it is clear that good grades are always desirable by all, care must be taken to ensure that they aren’t obtained at the expense of your personal growth and development. What I mean here is that you can’t simply enroll for a course because you only plan to boost your GPA (Grade Point Average). You also need to think of the values the courses you plan to take will add to you and what skills you’ll acquire by taking the courses. Because at the end of it all, it isn’t so much about how high your GPA is, but about how much skills and values you have gained.
In today’s job market, most employers, when making hiring decisions, tend to focus more on skills and core values than on school grades. You may take only easy courses throughout your school year and obtain high scores, but you will never challenge yourself enough to fully maximize your potentials. At your post-secondary institution, you will have the opportunity to choose courses that will broaden your horizon and teach you skills that will help your overall improvement.
In short, I guess the summary here is to try to maintain a good balance between learning and obtaining great grades (one mustn’t be favored over and above the other).
Reason #3: “Others will think I am smart”:
This is one of the greatest mistakes any student will ever make: enrolling for a major or taking a course just so people can think highly of him or her. I think the first thing to remember is that you are pursuing a degree for yourself and not for anyone else. The certificate of completion you’ll receive upon graduation will be inscribed with your name and no one else’s. It is about your true success and not some fake one.
Also, don’t take hard courses simply to prove to yourself or to others that you are smart – you won’t be doing yourself any good at the end of the day especially if your performance is terrible. Stick to your desired major and to the required courses – they are already challenging enough so why give yourself more pressure?
This post wasn’t intended to criticize but to shake up some student(s) out there (I am the good guy 🙂 ). I have known students who almost subconsciously accepted those 3 reasons as they breezed through school performing poorly. They just needed someone to speak reality to them.
What do you think are some other questionable reasons students select a program or course?
To your student success!!
PS. You can find more student success tips (e.g. time management, goal setting, planning, etc) in my book “Be a high achiever: Achieving all-round success in College & University”
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