The cost of studying wrong subjects in a wrong college
- career choices
- July 9, 2025
Studying wrong subjects in a wrong college costs so much
Before students and their families or loved ones feel the pressure of taking the right subjects in the right college, they should understand the cost of getting into a wrong college for the wrong reasons.
You go to any college and ask the students if anyone there got into a wrong stream, wrong career choice, wrong set of subjects.Â
At least a few students will raise hands. Among others—if you ask them why they took admission to that program, at least a few of them will be not so sure.
A majority of the students get into wrong colleges and end up studying wrong subjects because they were not sure of their career goals after finishing their school.
Some of the common reasons of college students studying in wrong colleges are:
- No or unplanned career discussions in the family
- Incorrect alignment between students life dreams, aspirations and vision, vs the options they see and find
- Wrong understanding of the financials and ROI of the degree
Selecting the wrong subjects in the wrong college is not only about the cost—it proves to be an expensive decision more holistically.Â
- Students complete it because they have to, and not because they actually want to. They do not see any mapping with their aptitude and leaning models with their career dreams and goals. This is such a waste of time and money—and of an opportunity to make a meaningful life.
- Switching courses midway invites additional expenses for fee and many additional expenses
- It impacts the family dynamics because everyone in the family can feel the stress
- It affects the students emotionally, some of them never recover from it while at job or at their own work (a related story)
Assistant professor Noli Brazil from the University of California and assistant professor Matthew Andersson from Baylor University conducted a study on this topic. They analyzed data gathered by 1,453 students before and after they started college and found that almost fifty percent students chose to attend a college of “lesser” academic esteem.
The study showed signs of depression and had lower self-esteem among a high proportion of such students (link to the study)
Steering builds this confidence that students and their family and loved ones can openly talk about the apprehensions, the uncertainties, and the challenges and opportunities in the career aspirations—the bridges that build the family dynamics for a life.
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