In today’s post, we’ve put together an overview of the three most important guidelines you can use to help you choose your studies.

First, we would like you to answer some questions that you have probably already tried to answer or intend to do so in the future when deciding on the study programme.

We believe that we all dreamed about all sorts of professions when we were younger. We wanted to become engaged in a profession that we have nice memories of or that seemed cool and likeable.

Certain individuals will choose their study based on the job possibilities after the completed education. Others will put their interests first and add the right note to their study because of their assured interest in a certain profession.

Before making the final decision, many of these candidates will surely face questions such as: How do I choose the right field of study? Will the points from my matura exam be sufficient to enrol into my first-choice programme? Is this a sought-after profession?

How and where to start?

You can find several questionnaires online that will help you to get a clearer picture of your interests. Those are not the best available tools, but can be used to narrow down our choices. An efficient form of help can be the DOTS model, which was presented by professors Bill Law and A. G. Watts as early as 1977 in the book “Schools, Careers and Community: A study of some approaches to careers education in schools.”

Four key elements suggested by the dots model of professor A. G. Watts are as follows:

• Self-awareness
• Opportunity awareness
• Decision learning
• Transition learning

1. Self-awareness – start with yourself

The first piece of advice is to get to know yourself. Realize what things you do with joy, what excites or motivates you. What do you like to do in your free time? What arouses your interest? In what way are you better than others? Does anyone regularly praise you for a certain thing, but you find it natural? Ask yourself about the future. What are your goals? What would you like to do in life and what really motivates you? Do you maybe have a role model?

If you are wandering in the dark, you can start in the opposite direction. Think of all the things that you have no interest in, that get on your nerves or you largely wish to avoid. You can certainly cross those off your wish list immediately.

Our School also offers individual conversations with future students where we can provide advice. Our colleagues in the Student Office will gladly answer all your questions and help you clarify any details. For more information, please contact us at referat@fuds.si or call us on: +386 5 907 34 61.

2. Opportunity awareness – knowing the environment, offered opportunities and events.

Explore all channels. There are millions of possibilities in the present times. Faculties present their programmes on various platforms. For more detailed information, we recommend visiting the websites of individual faculties, where you can surely obtain the best image of the desired programme or direction. During the academic year, you can attend organized information days on several occasions. In the current situation caused by the new coronavirus, you can attend information days directly from the comfort of your home. Like many educational institutions, SASS also ensured that information days will be held online. They will be available to students in August and September. Such events are a great occasion to obtain good advice regarding studies.

Make sure to thoroughly read the conditions for enrolment in the School. These conditions sometimes change throughout academic years. You can also review employment opportunities and the titles obtained after graduation, or pre-test the field of work. Doing so will surely make it easier for you to choose the right study. Professors or counselling services in secondary schools can also provide assistance.

You can ask your friends, acquaintances or relatives about the study. However, you should know that everyone’s opinion is based on their own personal experience. Maybe yours will be different.

Alumni Club

Our School also has an Alumni Club, which has regular, honorary and support members. The Alumni Club is an association of graduates, masters, doctoral students and higher education teachers. This way, you can have a thorough discussion with members of different generations of students from the School. First-hand advice is always the best. For more information, write to the e-mail address: karierni.center@fuds.si

Special study arrangements

If you are a professional athlete, an artist or have special needs, it is best to ask in advance what kind of special arrangements are available to you. With the status of a student athlete or a student artist, certain adjustments with regard to study are available at the faculties. If you fit the above description, do not forget to provide all the necessary proofs when submitting the enrolment application.

Studying Abroad

If you wish to experience studying abroad, we recommend that you review the faculty programmes in advance to see if there are any possibilities of international collaboration. Not all faculties offer the possibility of studying abroad. The School of Advanced Social Sciences offers student mobility programmes Erasmus+ and Ceepus. For more advice on studying abroad, you can call us or write to the student office.

You are the one that makes the final decision! Self-assessment is always the best. Encourage yourself to think critically and develop your own view on the information and advice you obtained.

3. Decision learning, goals set and decision making

You should start obtaining information on studies well in advance. Some information might take you by surprise and make you look for a more appropriate direction. We are aware that choosing the field of study is difficult in the present days. Decision-making processes are postponed to later periods and sometimes we might be forced to change a study programme because we find that the one we first selected isn’t interesting.

Don’t be intimidated by such discovery. If you have come to this realization, this can only be positive for you. This means that you have finally learned how to achieve your goals.

Keep going! Education process may have its ups and downs like any other journey. In difficult moments, think about the path that you have already travelled, about the set goals, and be perseverant.

An investment in knowledge pays the best interest. (Benjamin Franklin)

Any students interested in studying at the School of Advanced Social Sciences are kindly invited to apply for an individual consultation offered by our Career Centre. We will do our best to illustrate the student experience at our school for you before you enrol.
 For further information, please contact us via telephone number +386 5 907 34 61 or via e-mail referat@fuds.si.