ISR Students Ask ISR Alumni 🌟 Nele, Emma, and Gordon answer a crucial question: When did you know for sure what you wanted to study? Have you ever second-guessed your decision or gone back and forth on your options? Hear their personal stories of discovery, doubts, and decisive moments!

I changed my mind quite a lot, especially when I was younger. I found IAs to be really helpful figuring this out. Being happy to read academic literature in a specific subject area is always a great indication. Everything can be made interesting, so it’s about finding the thing that you can talk passionately about. And that may be very niche. While I did consider how things may have been different if I chose a different degree, I never felt like I wanted to go back on my choices. However, I did change my mind within my field throughout my degree. Learning more and expanding your horizons can do this, and for me this meant falling in love with plant science and Enzymology, although I hated enzymes in IB and originally wanted to go towards Pharma. I would suggest choosing a relatively broad undergrad degree, so you will have plenty of choice within that.
– Nele
PhD Plant Biology and Genetics Student at University of Oxford

Pinpointing when exactly I knew English Literature would be my first choice for a degree is difficult. Like most students, I was pivoting between pursuing various fields; medicine, veterinary medicine, psychology, and briefly architecture.
During my university applications in late 2021 / early 2022, I realised that finding a balance between a passion and a broad degree, one which would open many academic fields for postgraduate study, seemed the best possible path to pursue. As I was undecided between many career prospects and knew only that my ‘big’ idea was to work as an author, English Literature offered a sustainable foundation for academic developments in many disciplines; law, marketing, journalism, social media, and, of course, academia. On top of that, I also enjoyed my IB English Lit. class, so, pursuing it in greater depth, while having precisely that adaptability of an Arts & Humanities degree, seemed like the most logical choice in 2022. Though my passions have refined in the field, and my goals have changed over and over, I remain confident in my choice of degree.
That is not to say that I do not second-guess myself, my choices, and my future. I think being unsure about one’s university journey is much less normalised than it should be. Every student at university that I have spoken to – no matter the degree – has at some point or another second-guessed their choice of subject and future plans. English Literature comes with no clear instruction manual regarding which specific career(s) you could pursue post-graduation; it is a broad subject, allowing you to dabble with History, Philosophy, and even some Politics, depending on what academic sub-area you choose. On the other hand, I have developed a skill set that is transferable to all such fields and applying it to different careers is a constant, delicate balance between managing a way in which I can compete with other, perhaps more specialised, students and reasserting why my degree holds value. While I adore my studies, I do sometimes wish for a degree that ‘tells’ me what to do with it – English will make you look for what you want to apply it to and it will undoubtedly give you a solid foundation; but ultimately, English relies upon yourself and your ability to reframe all which you have learned into different boxes to work out.
– Emma
English Literature Student at University College Dublin

You get there when you get there, you start with narrowing down what you want to do to a general direction, then down to a certain field. I was drawn to technology and solving big problems before having to choose a path. So, I went deeper and chose between a broad science field, such as physics/maths, or a specific engineering subject.
Always keep in mind that most people don’t end up doing what they have studied in their profession, so don’t put too much pressure on the decision and simply follow through with your decision. When in doubt, there are a few things you can do to either further justify your choice or choose something else. For example, one of the ones I enjoy doing is seeing the related museums or checking out what your university has to offer. For example, before some exam sessions, while questioning my choices, I visited the Aviodrome museum in the Netherlands. Since you are studying the subject, the museum probably won’t teach you too many new things. However, the museums do a very good job of putting history in front of you. Knowing how far the field has progressed since whichever century it initiated is strong motivation for you to learn and contribute to the future.
You don’t necessarily have to join a team in your university, as it can become quite time-consuming and may cost you some exams if you are over-dedicated to the student team. However, talking to them from time to time is rather interesting and listening to people similar to your age talk about their experiences and engagements is always quite cool. You can also ask your parents or the university counsellors, since your parents probably won’t be able to fully understand your studies, they won’t be able to support you the same way they did in high school. Therefore, unless you absolutely cannot get any further with your current choice, finishing it up is usually the better option.
– Gordon
Aerospace Engineering Student at TU Delft

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