WHAT SHOULD I STUDY IN THE UNIVERSITY (OR OTHER TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS)? [By Abdulsalam Yunusa]

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This is the question asked by many students all over the world prior to their application to universities, colleges and other tertiary institutions for admission. Though it is a crucial decision to make, the question is a direct one and therefore, the answer to it is simple too; join me as I provide an answer to the question.

It is no doubt that everyone aspires to be successful in life; some aspire to be rich; some, to be popular; some, to be able to help people; while some, only aspire to live a quiet, peaceful and happy life. All these cannot be achieved unless one follows some certain paths, or strategies of which the course to be studied in the higher institution is one. 

Though the course that you choose to study cannot be said to be the only determining factor of who or what you become in future, it undoubtedly plays a great role towards achieving you dream.

WHEN SHOULD YOU MAKE THE DECISION?

This decision being a crucial one to ones future is such that shouldn’t be delayed till the last minute, but rather, should be begin as soon as possible so that there will be enough time to think it through before the final decision is made.

SHOULD YOU MAKE THE DECISION ALONE?

Well, this isn’t advisable; a person is expected to seek advice from experienced people first – people like parents, teachers, elder siblings or even mentors. The people you are to seek advice from, should not make the decision for you, but rather, they should guide you to make the choice yourself. Since they know you quite well, they should know your strengths and what you can do best. 

Furthermore, they should enlighten you regarding the financial costs attached, the ease or difficulty to study the course and the years you will have to spend to study the course.

WHAT YOU LOVE DOING VERSUS WHAT YOU ARE GOOD AT

This is very important! You should know your strengths – and your weaknesses too. It is said that, ‘If you choose to do what you love (as a profession), you’ll never have to work for a day in your life!’ Indeed this is true; if for example, you love photography and it is one of your hobbies, then choosing it as a profession will give you the opportunity of doing what you love whilst being paid for it. 

Nevertheless, it is worth mentioning that you shouldn’t just choose what you love doing, but you should choose what you are also good at doing; you might love engineering, but not being good at maths and physics might make studying engineering very difficult for you.

GET ACQUAINTED WITH THE COURSE BEFORE APPLYING FOR IT.

Yes you should be familiarized with the course first; browse it on the internet, ask your teachers, parents and most importantly, ask the professionals in that field. Many students apply for courses that they know very little or nothing about, and therefore, they will end up having challenges in the course of study, some of which could stop them from graduating on time — or even at all. 

I will give you an example with medicine; many students apply for the course due to its popularity or the notion that there will always be a good job available for anyone that studied the course; well, this might be true, but little do most of those applicants know about the course. In the first few years of studying medicine, students will do activities like cadaveric dissection (this simply means the study of the anatomy of man by cutting the body parts of a cadaver/corpse); blood tests and the likes; this and other activities accompanied to being a clinician, is something that many cannot endure or stand the sight of and therefore, they end up withdrawing from medical school.

In addition, the intending applicant of any course should also learn about the popularity and marketability of that course in their country of residence; this will ensure that one studies a course that can secure him an employment after graduation, be it a paid- or self-employment.

CONCLUSION

With the above being said, I hope you’ve learnt something beneficial and that you now know when, why and how you should choose the course to study in the tertiary institution.

Please feel free to share your constructive comments and/or criticisms with regards to the article. 

Thanks for reading

Abdulsalam Yunusa.

(abdulsalam750@yahoo.com)