What If . . . ? - How to Handle Common Obstacles in College

Thus far, we’ve focused on how to make optimistic plans for the future. What we haven’t spent much time considering, though, is what could possibly disrupt them. Even if you make a plan and follow it to a T, a single change could cause your perfect-on-paper plans to not look so good anymore. Although we can’t predict the future, we can try to preempt the most common problems and incorporate preventative measures into your plans.

What If You Don’t Graduate?

Only 68% of students enrolling at four-year colleges attain a degree within six years. I presume all of these students intended to make it to graduation day when they first enrolled, so it’s concerning so many of them didn’t make it. How can you avoid a similar fate?

Well, first you can be careful about how you choose your major. Different majors offer value at different times in the educational process. In general, skills tend to be acquired evenly throughout college, whereas credentials are acquired at the very end. Similarly, self-improvement is a result of your day-to-day efforts, not the piece of paper they hand you at the end. So, do you think you’re at risk of not graduating? If you don’t graduate, how much value will you have gotten from your courses? For each major you’re considering, try to evaluate how much value will be maintained if you make some progress in your college studies but don’t end up graduating. And try to avoid putting yourself in the situation where the only thing you get out of your college experience is student debt. The New York Times published an article with more details about how to avoid the most common roadblocks to graduation, if you’re interested.

As a final note, I should point out that statistics aren’t destiny. The statistic we discussed earlier doesn’t mean you have a 68% chance of graduating, since you’re not average. The fact that you’re reading this indicates you’re serious about your education, which means your personal odds of graduating are likely better than average. And regardless of the odds, remember you’re not powerless: You have control over your actions, and those actions will have great influence on how college turns out for you. Don’t let the statistics scare you away from trying. If you try hard enough, you’ll likely succeed.

What If You Switch Majors?

33% of students pursuing bachelor’s degrees change majors within three years. Although I hope you’ll be able to figure out your ideal major with this guide, there’s a real chance you’ll end up deciding to switch majors later. In my opinion, the riskiest aspect of changing majors is the potential to delay your graduation. So, how many of the required courses for your major would transfer if you decided to switch majors? And, more generally, how easy would it be to switch majors if you don’t end up liking this one?

Besides voluntary changes of major, there’s also the possibility of an involuntary change. Maybe it’ll be because of a problem with your financial situation, or maybe you’ll accidentally fail a critical class because of the need to work a part-time job and take care of an ailing family member: No matter the reason, being forced to change your major can be a painful experience. The best advice I can give is to be on the lookout for anything that could force you to change majors unexpectedly and try your best to avoid it. And try to just generally be nice to your professors and the support staff in college, since they often have the ability to make your switch painless if they like you and painful if they don’t.

I also have an in-depth guide on how to know if you should change majors, if your situation ends up warranting it.

What If You Transfer Schools?

According to The New York Times article we discussed earlier, one of the most common reasons students fail to graduate college is the challenge of transferring credits when switching schools. The following quote from the article sums it up: “A third of students transfer at one point in their college careers. Nearly 40 percent of them get no credit for any of the courses they have completed and lose 27 credits on average — or about a year of school, according to a 2014 federal study.”

If you think you may end up transferring schools, the first thing you can do is consider how likely your classes are to transfer to other colleges. Be wary of any major that involves a lot of unique course requirements, as these may prove particularly difficult to transfer. Consider sticking to a common major (e.g., chemistry, industrial engineering) instead of pursuing an unusual major (e.g., Canadian Studies, Entertainment Engineering and Design). In particular, I imagine custom majors—which only ~30% of colleges offer*—could be the most difficult to transfer without losing credits.

Unfortunately, even credits for common classes often don’t transfer. Schools can be sticklers about transfer qualifications, so the only way to be certain you’ll be able to keep your credits is to confirm with the school you’re transferring into.

The takeaway from this section depends on how likely you are to switch schools. If you think a transfer may be in your future, consider sticking to majors that involve classes likely to transfer (and consider reaching out to the schools for clarification). If you don’t think it’s likely you’ll transfer, you can ignore this one. Either way, try not to let the risk of losing credits lead you to compromise on your dreams. It’s worth taking the risk into consideration, but don’t let it govern your choices.

What If You End Up Having to Change Careers?

We’ve already discussed large societal changes on the Scenario Planning page. Beyond those, it’s worth considering how the professions you’re considering could change in the future. For example, will you be ready to go back to school if requirements in your field change? The New York Times reported on a change like this in nursing: Many nursing jobs that used to require an associate’s degree now require a bachelor’s degree. It’s not hard to imagine that many of the office jobs that now require a bachelor’s degree could follow a similar path to require an advanced degree. So, remember that good prospects now don’t guarantee good job prospects forever. If you hope to weather the storms that could come in the future, you should aim to pick a profession worth laboring for.

Beyond changes to job requirements, there’s also the possibility the career you pursue could become undesirable in the future. A promise of a “good job” now doesn’t guarantee a good job forever. So, consider choosing a major that offers you a flexible skillset and the option to switch paths if things change.

Although we’ve been discussing what could go wrong, you should remain optimistic about your future. Since you’re reading this, I can confidently say you’re young, smart, and ambitious. You’ll be able to weather the storms we covered here, even if they set you back a little. So, don’t fret. Try to anticipate any problems that may apply to you and plan for them. Besides that, you’ll be better off focusing your attention on what you can control. On the next page, we’ll work to put everything into perspective.

*I had trouble finding definitive, up-to-date data on the availability of custom majors, so my ~30% number is a best estimate. According to a 2010 Wall Street Journal article, “More than 900 four-year colleges and universities allow students to develop their own programs of study with an adviser’s help”. If we compare 900 to the 2,870 four-year colleges in the US in that same year, we get ~30%. (return to section)