Things you will regret after graduation!

More than 60% of Americans who had attended college regretted at least one decision they made regarding the education, quoting a recent poll conducted by Gallup and Strada Education Network, a Cheetsheet.com report said.

Almost 90,000 people quizzed for the poll agreed that they had second thoughts about the school they attended, the degree they obtained or the vocation they had chosen. Now, the question whether there is any mechanism to avoid this regret pops up and the answer lies in the fact that giving the students more information before they enrol would go a long way, says the report. The authors of the report on Gallup survey Results opined that the graduate student’s regret about their past decisions could be read as a signal to improve the resources available to inform future education decisions.

Understanding the specific areas most likely to give people pause later on could also help reduce the chances of future regret. College students, here are some of the biggest regrets people say they have about school and how you can avoid making the same mistakes, the report pointed out here are few typical regrets and the solution to these.

Choosing wrong subject

One-third of those surveyed by Gallup noted that they regretted their college major. Those with a degree in a STEM subject were also less likely to have second thoughts about their major, in contrast with those who pursued business or the liberal arts or who had a graduation in a public service field, said the report.

Avoiding college major regret

Although the poll never probed in particular why persons wished they had chosen a different major, nevertheless a mismatch between career expectations and field of study should have some correlation.  Few students tend to choose a major without having foresight of their earning potential in the long run and they end up regretting. The authors of the report forecasted that challenges in using their education to obtain their ideal job could also cause some people to question their major choice, as could a weaker demand for people with their specific skills.

Stating that there is no magic formula for choosing a major, the report said that by considering both career prospects and what is a good fit for an individual personally is important. 

Choosing a field solely because you think it’s what you should do can lead to regret and frustration, especially if you have no interest in or aptitude for the subject, noted The New York Times. But unless you’re independently wealthy, selecting a major without being realistic about what kind of job you’ll eventually be able to get can lead to a different type of regret.

Choosing a different school

Around 28% of people who responded to the Gallup poll wished they had attended a different college. Among those earning less than $40,000 a year, one-third would have chosen a different school.  Heavy loan balances translated into big regret. For instance, 38% of students with $75,000 or more in student loan debt wished they had enrolled at a different institution, as against 23%, who owed less than $25,000.