Many students experience doubts about their choice of degree programme during their studies. In fact, a survey shows that 35% of students at Aarhus University experience such doubts. These doubts may arise gradually or suddenly. Both are completely normal.
When you explore your doubts with curiosity, you begin to understand what your ‘question’ really is. Once you have identified it, you can start looking for your ‘answer’. By reflecting on your doubts, it becomes easier to recognise what you feel is missing or what you are uncertain about. You may find that you can continue your studies with greater peace of mind. Alternatively, you may realise that a different path is right for you.
Restlessness, stomach aches, worrying thoughts, social challenges, doubts about your future career, or something entirely different. All of these can be associated with doubts about your choice of degree programme. It is perfectly normal to go through periods when you feel more or less satisfied with your studies. The question is what is causing your doubts and whether they are temporary or persistent.
Get advice from student counsellor Sarah Lund Nielsen on how to deal with doubts about your studies.
You can explore your doubts in different ways, depending on what is causing them. Below, you will find suggestions for what you can do.
Remember that you can always seek help and support from a student counsellor if your doubts feel overwhelming and you need someone to talk to about your concerns regarding your studies.
It can be difficult if you don’t feel at home on your study programme. For example, you may feel that you are not part of a community or that your study group is not working well.
What can you do? | |
Talk to your fellow students
| Try talking to your fellow students about your study environment or group work. Maybe they don't feel that it’s quite working either? Maybe you can do something about it together? |
Become part of the association life in your study programme
| There are many different associations at Aarhus University. Some associations bring together several year groups in your programme, while others stretch across the entire university. |
Seek out other communities
| Consider whether you can find a community in other places besides your programme. Perhaps based on your hobby or your home. Or maybe you can revisit previous communities, for example from your high school. |
Feeling lonely?
| Many can feel lonely at times. If loneliness is the root of your doubts, read more here. |
Before starting a study programme, you usually have certain expectations about what it will be like. However, it can be difficult to know exactly what to expect until you experience it yourself. If you don't feel academically interested in your study programme, doubts about your choice of programme may begin to take up more of your thoughts.
What can you do? | |
Is it a course or your whole programme?
| Sometimes an individual course in your programme won’t exactly catch your interest. This can cause doubt to come knocking. But this doesn’t necessarily mean that your entire programme is uninteresting. You can talk to a student counsellor about this. |
Look at other programmes | Perhaps there’s another programme that could match your interest? It may be something similar but with a slightly different focus. Perhaps you need to pursue another of your interests and look at a completely different programme. Remember to use all the knowledge you have gained when you started at the university. You know much more about yourself and being a student than when you applied for the first time. |
A university degree opens up many opportunities. However, the wide range of career options can also create uncertainty. For some, it can be difficult to imagine how they can and want to use their degree. For others, it can be difficult to see themselves following a traditional career path.
What can you do? | |
|---|---|
Talk to a career counsellor
| It is possible to talk to a career counsellor at various places at Aarhus University. Reach out to them and talk about your considerations. |
Find out about past graduates
| Find out what former students on your programme are working on today. For example, search for your programme on LinkedIn or ask your teachers. |
Look at job advertisements
| Perhaps there’s an organisation where you’d like to work. Try looking at their job postings and research the profiles they typically seek. You could also do a completely open search by selecting an industry and looking at the job postings available there. |
Remember your values
| When looking into different job opportunities, remember also to keep an eye on yourself and your values. Maybe you have your own special values or frameworks to take into account when researching what job you would like. |
Consider a student job
| For some students, a student job can provide meaning and motivation. A student job that is relevant to your studies can provide ideas about how you can use your studies in practice. Even if your student job isn’t relevant to your studies, you’ll get to know a workplace and the labour market. This knowledge can also help identify what you want to use your education for. |
It’s completely normal to feel tired or demotivated during your studies. The feeling can come and go. The most important thing is that it doesn't overpower you. Consider whether it is the course you’re not interested in, whether the whole programme demotivates you, or whether it’s actually something else.
What can you do? | |
|---|---|
Talk to a student counsellor
| Have a chat with your student counsellor about how you feel. Can you create a little breathing space in your study programme? |
Study in a new way
| Can you use a different study technique to make studying easier? Find inspiration for new study habits and techniques for preparation and reading strategies. |
Finding energy elsewhere
| Perhaps it's also perfectly okay that at times you are not top-motivated for your studies. You may be able to find energy in other places in your life. |
Check whether it's the right programme for you
| Although it’s perfectly okay not to be top-motivated all the time, study fatigue may also be a sign that you need to do something else. Try to be curious about whether it’s studying or the programme itself that you has run you down. |
Some periods during a semester will be busier than others, for example, leading up to exams. Being busy and feeling under pressure can make you doubt your choice of study programme. Try to explore whether the pressure comes from the academic content or from managing a busy period.
What can you do? | |
|---|---|
Structure your time
| If you find it difficult to find motivation and structure your time during a busy period, explore new strategies to read, to go to exams, and to structure your time. Try to talk to the others in your class as well. Perhaps they have a good reading or time hack to help you. |
React to stress
| If you feel under pressure and maybe even stressed, you need to react and take care of yourself. Reach out to someone who can help you, or start by finding advice on managing stress. |
Do you sometimes feel that everyone else on the programme has complete control and it’s all going perfectly for them? And that you have no idea what you're doing? Many people compare themselves to others and are very critical of themselves. If you don't feel that you can figure it all out, you may start to have doubts about your study choices.
What can you do? | |
|---|---|
Talk about your doubts
| Talk about your doubts so that you don't walk around alone with them. You can talk to your fellow students. Perhaps you’ll find out that they feel exactly the same way as you. Or you can talk to family, friends or colleagues. |
Examine what's causing your doubts | For some, the doubt may be about perfectionism, for others about imposter syndrome, or something completely different. Try to research the root cause. You can get help from your student counsellor or at Student Counselling. |
In the podcast Studiekammeraten student counsellors talk to students or experts about different aspects of life as a university student.
Applying your academic knowledge and skills in a practical setting during your studies can strengthen your motivation. A student job, an internship or voluntary work can make your study programme seem more meaningful and prepare you for the labour market. Read more about:
