HOW TO CHANGE YOUR COURSE OF STUDY WITHOUT TEARS
It is not news that many students that want to go to the higher institution end up not getting the course or school of their choice and the result is that while they are in a school, they keep looking at another course they really want. This in itself is not at all a bad practice but the problem is that many students end of losing the one they have already go yet not getting the one they really want and the result is waste of time and eventual frustration. My focus in this article is to give you guide that could save you from regret in your attempt to change your course.
It Can Ruin Your Stay in School
I like to start by drawing your attention to the fact that your desire or step to change your course if not properly handled can ruin your stay in school. How do I know? Many students who have tried to change their course always focus their mind and energy at their efforts to change their course that they do not give adequate attention to the course they are currently studying. The result is poor performance, non chalance to anything that concerns their present course of study or school. Unfortunately, if they don’t succeed in changing their, course, they stay with poor grade acquired in their years of trying to change course or school by all means. That’s more reason why you need to be careful and apply wisdom in your quest to change your course of study or leave your school to another one you really want.
Is It Really Necessary?
Before you take the first step in changing your course, I like you to first settle down and find out for yourself if your attempt to change your course is really necessary. How do I determine whether my attempt to change my course or school of study is necessary? First figure out why you want to change. I have seen many students whose reasons for changing their course is not worth it at all. If why you want to change your course is that your present course does not have prestige, your plan to change your course is most certainly unnecessary. Prestige is a hype not a reality. Your secondary school teacher’s, parents’ and society’s words are what makes you think a course has prestige while another does not. Here is my strongest conviction in this regard: no course is really prestigious in itself; prestige is simply a product of hype. The excellence and skill people put in the use of their talent in their course of study is what generate the prestige. When the majority of people who studied a particular course now considered unprestigeous go about the practice with utmost seriousness, men will associate prestige to it. A case in point is Nigeria Nollywood and comedy industry which was once seen as career of dullards but many people now crave for it and parents don’t really frown at their children who take to those.
Again, if your plan to change your course is because you want a course that will give you a lot of money, it’s not necessary. You know why? , In every profession there are the ‘skilled and wealthy’ as well as the ‘mediocre and wretched’. No profession has the monopoly of making you wealthy and influential. People become wealthy because they identify where they are talented in, apply diligence, skill and excellence there and God blessed their efforts.
I have also seen people who insist on changing their course of study because form childhood; they have always wanted to study that particular course. First, I find this amusing because everyone of us had things we wanted to be as little children or even secondary school boys. At those stages in life, we hardly know what we really want to study. Many times, what we want to study is anything that catches our fancy. So, if the only or most important reason you want to change your course is because that’s what you have always wanted to study, your change of course plan is unnecessary.
If you want to change course, let it be that you are sure you are not wired to study that particular course, you have no interest in it, you can’t cope studying it(after trying hard to), not any of those reasons I discussed above. What I consider the most important reason to change your course is that you want to study the course that will prepare you to fulfill your purpose on the earth. Also, before you change your course because that is not what you applied for, be careful to ensure that it’s not God that has led you to you to the right course to study, using your score as a tool.
The Paths to change Of Course
If you still consider it necessary to change your course of study, you could take of these paths: Write another JAMB, apply for change of course or go for second degree. Writing JAMB seems to be the surest means since your score is what speaks for you and when you score high, you stand good chance of getting any course you want to study. Also, having spent some time in higher institution, you are better equipped and advanced to prepare for JAMB and do well in it. Applying for change of course after your first years demands that you should study hard in your first year to have good CGP. Once you have high CGP and the process of change of course is transparent in your school, you stand a good chance of changing. This also, means that you have to add perquisite course that the department you want to change to requires. Also, ensure that your O’ level result covers the course you want to change to so that you don’t get thrown out of the department or school midway in your study. A third path to change of course is going for another degree. If you try the aforementioned options and did not succeed, I suggest that you continue your study and plan to change to your dream course as a second degree. Many times, you will enter as a direct entry student or do your Masters Degree or a Post Graduate Diploma in the course you want to change to and that will suffice.
Wisdom: A Bird at Hand Principle
As you pursue your change of course, I like you to bear something important in mind. “A bird at hand is worth thousands in the bush.” Understand that many people really wish to go to school and study any course at all but have not been able to do that. So, don’t take your opportunity for granted. So, as you crave to change your course of study, make sure you don’t lose the one you have already or even allow the one you have to die out of neglect. Pursue the change of your course, it’s Ok but also not and never at the expense of devoting enough time and attention to the one you are studying at present. This way, you ensure that you graduate with your mates in the one you are currently studying and with excellent grades if you eventually did not succeed in changing your course.
Again, don’t give anybody any money (bribes) to ‘facilitate’ your change of course or get admission. Many people, who did this, ended up getting fake admission or change of course only to be thrown out of the school or department close to their expected year of graduation. Meanwhile giving bribes is a sin if you are Christian; keep away from it.
