By now you have probably signed up for your university courses. Most students have a basic idea for what they want to do in school, but many do not. Luckily at the University of Manitoba they have a thing called University 1, which is a program that is mandatory for all first year students and it gives them a chance to try out different courses to see where their passion lies. Most programs require a certain amount of electives (courses that aren’t related to your program at all) so it’s not a wasted year.
I Didn’t Know What I Wanted From School
You aren’t alone, while living in residence, I’d say around 80% of the people there changed their academic goals in their first semester of school, some still changed them in their second year or school. It’s okay to change things up, there’s nothing worse than spending the rest of your life in a career that you don’t want to do. If you want you can check out my article “What Job Is Right For Me?” where I talk about how I used a career workshop to point me in the right direction. Once I knew my general skills and interests, I took electives in that field. When I did find my path, I already had a pile of courses required for the program.
Taking Motivating Courses To Motivate Yourself
When you don’t know what to do as a career or in school it can be hard finding motivation going to class or studying for such exams. Sometimes the best motivator is your bank account if you are paying for your tuition yourself. I had a good laugh when I read Studenomics article “Financial Burden Of Failing A Course,” where he breaks down how much it costs to fail a course. A good plan is to find study buddies who can keep you in line and have study sessions. This method works well when you actually study when you get together and keep distractions to a minimum. It’s much easier to stay motivated when you have other people relying on you to keep them studying as well.
You Aren’t Alone
There are many stats out there to show you how many students drop out of school in their first year. When you are stressing out, keep it in the back of your mind that you will continue to go to school and you won’t become a statistic. One good way to see how many people actually drop out is to count the people in class before the voluntary withdrawal date, and count the students after. There will be a big difference, especially in first year required courses. I didn’t know what I wanted to do for my first two years of school. So I talked to my friends, and family, plus I also attended a career workshop to point me in the right direction. Before that I felt I was definitely more at risk of becoming one of the “Voluntary Withdrawal” casualties.
Taking A Break
Some people recommend taking a year from school if you don’t know what to do; however, it is very easy to get caught in a rut and not want to come back. It’s likely that if you aren’t in school you will probably be working, and making a bit of money while living at your parent’s place. The money you will make will be good since you don’t have to pay for rent or food, and it’s hard to give that up to go back to school. Soon, one year off turns into two or three years off. If you do take a break, be sure to make it only one, and beware of the rut and try not to fall into it.
Did you end up getting the same degree that you wanted to get when you first went to school? Did you drop any courses? Are you now in the career you thought you would be when you were 18?