Kirsty McHenry | Decision Pending
Columnist Kirsty McHenry opened her computer and realised that the UvA’s Masters week was just around the corner. But how on earth do you choose a good course? “As I stare at the smorgasbord of degree programmes, it once again seems that anything is possible.”
As the year draws to a close and the excitement of the first few academic months wears away, life can suddenly start to feel as though it has lost a little of its zest. Fortunately, just as the feeling of listlessness starts to settle in, a fresh serving of possibility appears in my inbox. I open the mail to see a tantalising overview of the UvA’s upcoming Master’s Week twinkling before me. And, as I stare at the smorgasbord of degree programmes, it once again seems that anything is possible.
If this year’s students are, like me, terrified of being confined to a single choice, they will likely find themselves registering for a myriad of Master’s sessions just for the sake of it. With the start date of most programmes still a distant prospect, it becomes possible to momentarily push aside practical considerations like tuition fees and employability and give in to the temptation of anything and everything that looks appealing.
Insatiable
Yet for those of us who jump at the thought of one enticing course after the next without clear intent, it quickly becomes apparent that our eyes are bigger than our stomachs. No matter how insatiable our curiosity, there is only so much a person can feasibly fit on their plate. So, with time – and money – in finite supply, how do we decide which course (if any) is the sensible investment?
For most of us, figuring out what we want from the wide selection of possibilities set out before us is no cakewalk. To add to this, the financial burden of pursuing a second, non-subsidised degree, together with the need to delay fulltime employment for another year, means that getting it wrong the first time around can be a costly mistake. Consequently, when it comes to taking a chance on a course, it makes sense that many students end up feeling pressured to set aside their passions in favour of what appears to be a safer, if blander, choice. This isn’t to say that so-called ‘safe’ courses – those that offer students practical, marketable skills and a neat path into employment – are inherently dull pursuits. But it’s also true that, for many of us, the passions that inspire us most aren’t usually the ones we can count on for job security.
Paralysed
The trouble with making massive, life-altering decisions, such as picking a degree programme, is that there’s a lot to life which refuses to be predicted. We can’t know with certainty whether the interests that excite us as students will remain just as fulfilling later in life, or if they’ll start to seem stale as our tastes and priorities evolve. However, it’s only through the process of trying new pursuits (and failing at them) that we can come to better understand what it is we find satisfying.
It’s natural that most students will need some time to sample their options and reflect on what truly matters to them before they settle on a direction. Even the most decisive among us have not made it through life without questioning our decisions at least a few dozen times. That being said, we can’t stay paralysed by indecision forever. Wait too long and we risk slowly starving ourselves of opportunity. Ultimately, as daunting as it is to finally take a chance on a particular course, we can take comfort in knowing that if it truly turns out not to our taste, we can always set it aside and try another.
