The paradox of study choice - 7 things to keep in mind

What do you want and what are you good at?

It sounds like an obvious one, right? However, even though that this is the absolute basis of every study choice I still see a lot of people struggling with the answer to that question. And if they try to answer that question, then they often rely mainly on their school performance. That is definitely a good beginning, but there is so much more: what hobbies do you have and what are you really passionate about? How do you usually behave in social situations, and what activity are you willing to put lots of hours in (even without getting paid for it)? Also think about the opposite: what do you not like doing, etc. Grab a pen and paper, write down all the things that come into your mind and use this pros and cons list as a living document for your research activities regarding your study choice. Really put it on paper by pen as this stimulates your brain much more and helps you to get the best out of it.

Listening to family, friends and other peer groups

You can and should ask all the questions from the section before to your family, friends and other people that know you well and whom you trust. Ask them for an honest feedback so that you get a better idea about yourself. Where are you are good at and where do you still have some room for development? Even if the answer hurts or contradicts your own sense of self, it is better that you realize it now instead of later in the classroom of the university that turned out to not be the right choice. Focus mainly on the aspects that you repeatedly hear from different people across different contexts like school, family etc. Those are usually the strengths and weaknesses that really apply to you, even in those new and unfamiliar situations which you will experience a lot during your future study.  

Not listening to family, friends and other peer groups

We have already established that your family and friends are a good source of feedback regarding your individual strengths and weaknesses. From experience however, I can tell you that they are not always the ones you should listen to if it comes to advice about a specific university or study programme. A study choice is a very individual thing to do and you should treat it as such. There are a lot of aspects which you find important that your family and friends maybe do not find as important and the other way around. You surely love your brother/sister, but that does this necessarily mean that you also have to like the same music for example? It’s the same with a university or study programme: definitely listen to what they say and be grateful, but also make your own research and especially your own choice. You will be the one studying and not them.

Studying abroad in the Netherlands

You are not only making a choice for a study programme or a university when going abroad for your study - you are also making a choice for a new country and a new culture – make sure that it is a conscious one! Your English is already good enough? Very good, but have you ever spoken English basically 24/7, even during situations during which you haven’t felt like talking another language? It can be a challenge, not an impossible one but definitely worth thinking about and preparing yourself accordingly. Also be aware of some cultural differences, they are usually underestimated in our globalized world. Even though the Dutch culture in general is considered very open and positively perceived by our international students, they can sometimes be overwhelmed by the very direct Dutch way of communicating. There are tons of articles on the internet about that, make sure to read some of them. The best source for best practices with the Dutch culture however are actual international students with their real-life stories and best practices. 

Ranking of a University

That is a question that prospective students from abroad ask almost always during interviews and other informational activities about studying at Saxion. It is understandable that people want to have some kind of neutral, technical evaluation of the quality of a university and thus their upcoming study choice. The problem is however, that this wish is close to impossible and a university`s ranking only gives you so much information about that. Do rankings matter at all? The answer is: it depends. Of course the ranking says something about a university, otherwise people wouldn’t be talking so much about it. Also some high-status companies still do care about the name and the ranking of the university that their candidates have graduated at. You have to figure out for yourself if you do want to work for a company that filters out potential talents like that, but that`s for another discussion. The bottom line however is that a ranking of a university consists of many factors which only partly contribute to the actual teaching and satisfaction of its students. Therefore it should not overshadow other important qualitative factors of your study choice which cannot be represented in a ranking:

• Level of supervision of teachers
• Preparation for the actual requirements of the labor market
• Development of soft skills  
• Quality of life in the student city
• Career opportunities after graduation

…and most of all that subtle gut feeling (be it good or bad) that you spontaneously have when talking to students and teachers from your programme and walking through campus. Never underestimate that, you will spend a big part of your waking time for the next few years on that campus with those people. Do you remember the music example I gave you before? According to a consumer insight report, Pop-music is the world`s most favorite music genre. Do you like pop-music? Good for you! You don’t like it? Also good, and that`s exactly the same with university rankings.