Five tips when deciding what to study

It’s that time of year again when students begin to think about their future study plans and come to a decision about what degree to apply for. It can be a difficult moment for many students due to the mixture of feelings when facing the university entrance exam – for some this can cause anxiety, stress and even fear; and none of this makes it any easier to be calm and confident when making such an important choice about what to study.

Over these few weeks, there are millions of students all over the world who have to consider their future. Many of them still have doubts about how to choose a university degree.

But there is one thing you can be certain about; you aren’t the only one in this situation. It is a time when the pressure of your surroundings, your family’s and teachers’ opinions, or even the current social and economic climate can make you feel so pessimistic that you find it hard to make a decision based on what you personally feel interested in.

But breaking the process down into steps may help take some of that stress away. Although it is an important step in your journey, try to remain calm. Your decision will help to guide you and find out what aspects in a degree interest you most, as well as help to define your future career. So remember, choosing what to study is the first step in your academic journey to reaching your passions.

To help you through this process, we would like to give you a hand in all these decisions, so here we offer five pieces of advice to make the process more straightforward:

Listen to your own feelings and take time to discover what you like most

What motivates you? Where and in what sort of professional environment would you like your career to unfold? What expectations do you have? Or what gives you a feeling of satisfaction? All these questions can help you get closer to making a decision.

Talk to the people you know

You can draw on your own environment to help you take the decision: You can be certain that your teachers, counsellors, and the people close to you whose profession you look up to can orientate you as regards the path they followed to reach their goal.

Check out university course syllabuses and prospectuses

If you have a clear profession in mind and know which area of knowledge you would like to study, this section may be able to help you to compare universities around the world in certain specific fields, and you can also select particular indicators of interest to you.

Analyse and compare the universities that offer studies that appeal to you

Whether you already have a clear idea of the study area you wish to pursue or not, and you want to analyse the performance of different universities, you can explore the profiles of all the universities included in U-Multirank and see how well they perform in the areas that matter most to you. All universities are showcased on how well they perform in five broad areas including: teaching and learning, knowledge transfer, research, international orientation and regional engagement.

Consult, evaluate and finally… Decide!

After all this advice, there is no getting away from the fact that there are ultimately so many variables that might influence your decision, but the good news is that there is an abundance of resources available that complement each other. So, you should never tire of checking one more tool and evaluating the information you have gathered to help you make your study choice.  

And how can U-Multirank help you choose the best matching university for you?

To guide you, U-Multirank offers a specific section devoted to students where we recommend you to start by reading this entry: “Find your best matching university in four steps”

After that, you will find a drop-down menu in “How to choose a university” where they raise some questions that will definitely help you to get closer to making your study choice.

Or perhaps you have a clear idea of the country where you want to do your undergraduate studies or carry out a short-term stay. In this case, this is where you will find useful information about the aspects that are most important for students when it comes to studying in a particular country.

It might also be the case that you have already narrowed down your choice, and you are trying to decide among several universities in a particular city. Here you will find which were the best-valued cities in 2020 according to students.

We wish you all the best in finding your best matching university or study programme.