I doubt, therefore I am… doing the wrong thing? Not always!

But suppose the answers aren’t that clear, how do students know whether their doubts are just temporary or whether they really don’t like their subject?

Unfortunately, there’s no litmus test to provide a clear answer for everyone. Each individual has to make this decision for themselves. It’s worth weighing up the doubts in your mind and perhaps even writing down the pros and cons. It also helps to talk to other people about it. That could be your parents or friends, or perhaps those who are professionally invested in the topic. Telling strangers what is going on in your life can often help you organize your thoughts. In our consultations, it often helps to look at what students have gone through so far in terms of their personal skills and resources, or a look into the future can help to check whether they are still doing the right thing.

Some situations are a bit trickier and you don’t want to go back to square one and start something new for other reasons. For example, what advice would you give to students who are having doubts about their subject towards the end of their degree programme?

There’s no general answer here. You should take the doubts seriously and think about the situation. Sometimes you don’t know what to do after your studies – and then the reason for your doubts lies somewhere else. But you may also find that you really are doing the wrong thing. Even then, there’s always a solution such as a double degree programme or a second undergraduate degree de. You might also find yourself in a situation where something goes badly wrong shortly before graduation and you irrevocably fail an examination. Of course, that’s usually a very serious issue. But even in a situation like that, it’s worth looking back at what you’ve achieved and looking ahead to goals that seem promising.

Some people find it difficult to figure out where their journey is taking them. What should they do?

You should keep your eyes and ears open, take everything in and gather ideas for your future. It’s best to compare your current situation with your personality and goals. What are you passionate about? You should peck around for answers to stay on track: What have you done so far? What do you want to achieve? What do you like to talk about? Which accounts do you follow on social media? Which part of the newspaper do you read first? It’s also a good idea to ask others for their views: What do they think you’re interested in? The answers to these questions will usually push you in the right direction.

Lots of students go to the Central Student Advisory Service to discuss their doubts. In your experience, what are the three most common reasons that ultimately cause students to drop out of university?

It’s often something beyond their control – such as the pandemic, unexpected events or unforeseen circumstances. Some students can fall behind in their academic achievements – either because their degree programme isn’t how they expected it to be or because studying at university isn’t how they hoped it would be. And other students simply develop completely different interests that don’t reflect their childhood dream.  But no matter what the trigger is, you should always see a crisis as an opportunity – don’t let your doubts get the better of you!