Choosing your higher education studies well gives you the motivation you need to commit to them, study regularly and succeed. Here is a four-step method, along with the guidance resources available in Belgium, to make a choice that truly suits you.
Why your choice of studies matters so much
Every year, many students start studies that are not right for them. Motivation drops, so do results, and it can take one or more years before they change course.
The classic mistakes are often the same: following a trend or your friends, giving in to family or social pressure, choosing by elimination. There is no perfect choice, but a few objective criteria greatly reduce the risk of getting it wrong.
Step 1: define a field of activity
Some people have a vocation, a passion or a job they have long dreamed of doing. That is an excellent starting point.
If that is not your case, start by identifying a field in which you could thrive. A career guidance test helps get this thinking started.
The Holland test (RIASEC code)
Widely used in career guidance, the model developed by psychologist John Holland describes six types of career interests:
- Realistic: enjoys concrete, manual or technical work;
- Investigative: enjoys observing, analysing, understanding (a scientific mind);
- Artistic: enjoys creating, imagining, expressing themselves;
- Social: enjoys helping, caring, teaching, supporting others;
- Enterprising: enjoys persuading, leading, taking initiative;
- Conventional: enjoys organisation, clear rules, precise tasks.
The test gives a three-letter code (for example ISA), which matches a list of jobs close to your interests.
Keep in mind that this result is a lead to think about, not a verdict. If the suggested jobs do not appeal to you, ask yourself why: that analysis also helps you clarify what you are looking for.
Where can you take a career guidance test in Belgium?
- Your school’s PMS centre (CLB in Flemish schools): its psychologists support pupils free of charge in their guidance choices, until the end of secondary school;
- SIEP (the French-speaking information service on studies and careers): free information on studies and jobs, and guidance interviews with a psychologist, by appointment;
- The guidance services of universities and university colleges, which offer information sessions and interviews for future students.
Step 2: meet people who do the job
To check your first impressions, nothing beats meeting people who work in the jobs you have shortlisted. Most are happy to talk about their work, their daily routine and their career path.
Some will even let you shadow them for a day at their workplace. It is probably the best way to get a concrete idea of a job, beyond the image you have of it.
Also think of students already enrolled in the programme you are interested in: they can tell you about the pace, the workload and the atmosphere in class.
Step 3: compare programmes
Once you have defined the job or field, choosing your studies becomes easier. First identify the cities where you could study, then the universities, university colleges and art colleges that offer matching programmes.
Then compare them on a few criteria:
- Career prospects: find out which jobs the programme leads to and how much employers need them, to avoid surprises after graduation;
- Prerequisites: some programmes assume a good level in mathematics and science (sciences, business engineering…) or in languages;
- Admission requirements: some studies require you to pass a test before enrolling, such as the entrance exam for medicine and dentistry or the admission exam for civil engineering;
- Length of studies: a professional bachelor’s degree (often at a university college) leads to a job in three years, while university studies combine a bachelor’s and a master’s degree;
- The curriculum: read the course details, and how much practical work, internships and projects it includes.
A prerequisite is not necessarily an obstacle. You can catch up during the two summer months before the start of the academic year, or even take a preparatory year to begin at the expected level.
A practical example: psychology or medicine?
1. The test
Your Holland test gives the ISA profile: Investigative, Social, Artistic. It brings up a wide range of jobs.
2. The meetings
You talk about it with the people around you, meet professionals, and keep two options: clinical psychologist or doctor. Both lead to healthcare, but the studies are very different.
3. The criteria table
Score each option according to your own priorities: length of studies, prerequisites, admission requirements, career prospects, possible specialisations. Two scenarios may then emerge:
- the length of studies and the entrance exam weigh heavily for you: you choose psychology;
- your main hurdle for medicine is your level in science, and that is exactly what you can work on: you choose medicine and prepare for the entrance exam by strengthening your mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology (see our medical school prep).
4. Choosing the institution
All that remains is to choose where to study. Read the detailed programmes, then visit the institutions: most hold open days, and some let you sit in on a class. Study fairs are also a chance to meet several schools on the same day.
When should you start thinking about it?
Ideally, start thinking about it in the 5th year of secondary school, without waiting for the end of your final year. You will then have time to take a test, meet professionals and visit institutions, while preparing for your secondary school leaving certificate.
If you have already started studies that are not right for you, it is not too late. Take stock with your institution’s guidance service before deciding to change course.
Preparing for your chosen studies
Once the decision is made, prepare for the transition. Filling a gap in mathematics or science, brushing up on a language or building a solid study method makes the first year much calmer.
At My Sherpa, an educational advisor assesses your needs and chooses the coach who suits you, for private tutoring in higher education or a refresher before the start of the academic year, for example in mathematics. Lessons take place at home anywhere in Belgium, or online. Still in your final year of French-speaking secondary school? Our article on preparing for the CESS (the secondary school leaving certificate in French-speaking Belgium) will help you finish secondary school well.
