Students have harder time choosing studies, say counsellors
More and more secondary school students in Flanders are putting off planning their higher education until the last minute
Fear of failure
“There are so many options, which makes it difficult to make a choice,” Isabelle Lanszweert of Ghent University’s department of educational affairs told Radio 1. Universities and colleges are also increasingly ready to deny students who don’t perform well in the first year the chance to continue in the same programme, she explained, creating a fear of failure in the students.
Lanszweert said that, although the start of the academic year is approaching, it’s not too late for students who haven’t made up their mind. Counsellors can examine their academic record, interests and motivations to see what is suitable for them.
“We go very quickly through the process that students should have gone through in the last year of secondary education,” she said.
Research from the University of Leuven, however, shows that students who choose a programme later are more likely to fail courses. Students starting their last year in secondary school this month, therefore, are advised to start considering future options and attend university and colleges’ open lessons and open door days.
Photo: Rob Stevens/KU Leuven
