Tips

Study choice: tips for choosing!

Study choice, a difficult issue. After high school you can go to college. But there are so many studies! And where is the best place to start? How can you best orient yourself? Just a few tips to try to make your study choice easier.

Here are some tips for your study choice:

  • Compare the different cities. It is important that you can feel at home in the city where you will be living for about four years.
  • Start your orientation well in advance and regularly take some time to think about it.
  • Ensure a broad orientation. There are probably several studies that you will enjoy. It is very important to first determine whether you are better suited for an HBO or a WO study. If you have completed VWO, this does not necessarily mean that you have to do WO.
  • Compare the different studies with each other. Sometimes it is difficult to immediately see the differences between certain studies. The studies also differ per city. For example, studying medicine in Groningen may differ in certain areas from studying medicine in Amsterdam.
  • Ask your dean for a study choice test, or get one from the internet. Such a test is often very useful to get your global interests clearly on paper.
  • Visit information days. The open days and information days of the universities can be found on the internet. There is also often information at school about relevant activities. You can also spend a day with a student to experience what it is like in practice.
  • Don’t let yourself be influenced too much and trust your feelings. It is important that you choose a study that actually interests you, otherwise it will be difficult to become really good at your profession later. And realize that you will probably be working on these topics for a long time in your life after college.
  • Try putting your own weaknesses and strengths on paper and compare them with the personal qualities mentioned in certain studies.
  • Consult multiple sources of information. The most complete is a combination of brochures, internet, information days and conversations with your parents and friends.
  • Have a chat with people who have completed the course that seems interesting to you. What jobs are there that are related to the study and are there enough jobs available?
  • Also talk to students who are doing studies that you like. They usually enjoy telling you about their experiences, and you get a sense of what it will be like to do that study.
  • Do not panic! If you don’t know it at the last minute, you can always go abroad for a year to travel around and gain life experience. There are also special information days for late decision makers.