How the psychology of decision making can help students choose universities

On any given day, we make approximately 35,000 decisions. Decision-making is a hallmark of being human.

The ability to survey our options, analyse the implications of each choice and exercise the autonomy to forgo a selection of possibilities and proceed with a single one – this series of mental actions is an astonishingly complex activity that all of us engage in effortlessly and constantly.

Given the possibilities that choosing where to apply to university opens (and closes), and the sheer impact it has in shaping one’s life trajectory, it is not an overstatement to say that deciding where to apply to university is one of the most important decisions that students will face in their lives to date. In fact, the university application journey is characterised not by a single decision, but by many – from having to choose region and programme to deciding what to include in their applications, right down to selecting the exact words to describe their activities and experience.

Psychological research has shed light on the sources of decision-making stress, the process of making the decision, and appraisal and acceptance after the decision has been made. Applying these findings to our practice can help us to support students more effectively and consciously.

Before the decision

Decision-making stress

Any decision making is accompanied by stress, which is compounded by four elements: being uninformed about alternatives, uncertainty of what to decide, unclear values on best decision and lack of support from others.

When it comes to university choice, these general sources of stress can be countered effectively by the college counsellor, in real and practical ways.

Addressing the stress caused by being uninformed about the alternatives and uncertainty of what to decide is understandably a perennial part of the job. Introducing the wide variety of options available for students across countries and disciplines – and subsequently applying the concept of “fit” – alleviates the stress resulting from the overwhelming number of options.

As counsellors, we are in a unique position to help students understand themselves better, in order to relieve the stress resulting from unclear values on the best decision. A great tool to help identify one’s values is the values worksheet, by College Essay Guy.

Finally, when a student feels unsupported by others, remember that you can enlist teaching staff and parents to help.

Coping strategies

In the face of stress, individuals can turn to a number of coping strategies, some more helpful than others. Effective coping strategies fall into two camps: problem-focused coping and emotions-focused coping.

We can help the students change the situation to get what is wanted (problem-focused coping). For instance, we can offer them practical help with strategic list-building so that an offer can be guaranteed with a few applications to safety schools.

Managing expectations (emotion-focused coping) involves discussing the realities of the admissions landscape and positioning the student within the larger picture in a gentle manner.

On the flip side, an ineffective coping strategy involves avoiding the decision altogether, which, in light of the immense stress, is an understandable – yet potentially harmful – course of action.

To counter this, break down the application process into small goals, such as “research three schools (instead of 10)”, or “write one paragraph of your personal statement before the next meeting”. These incremental gains will eventually add up to a successfully submitted application.

During the decision

Metacognition is awareness and understanding of one’s own thought processes. This includes the ability to identify and challenge the underlying assumptions behind the stream of thoughts, and observe it mindfully and non-judgementally.

Metacognition in decision making can be broken down into awareness and acceptance of thoughts. In the context of college counselling, this comes into play in the active discussions about students’ motives, rationales and preferences.

Given the natural sensitivity of adolescents to others’ opinions, and the formative nature of this period of life, it is perfectly normal for teenagers not to know exactly what they want or why they want it. Therefore, a series of non-judgemental “why” questions asked in a safe space will help them to get to know themselves better.

First, “why this university?”; “why this country?”; “why this programme?” But, beyond that, ask them to make sense of the activities and subject choices (“why did you choose that activity?”; “why that subject?”) that they have undertaken in the past four years of high school. This is crucial to helping them cultivate a deeper sense of self-awareness.

Another helpful activity is to ask students to rank their universities (and regions and majors) in order of preference. This will encourage them to evaluate their preferences proactively. The key here is to emphasise that the last university on the list should still be somewhere they would happily attend.

After the decision 

After the decision has been made, the appraisal process begins. Appraisal involves the following questions:

• Are the risks serious if I don’t change?
• Are the risks serious if I do change?
• Is it realistic to hope to find a better solution?
• Is there sufficient time to search and deliberate?

These questions are likely to be familiar to the college counsellor who has observed students vacillate after drawing up their lists. Gently remind them of the careful decision-making process that has led to this, and that time is a precious resource, especially in senior year (Year 13).

I always add that changing a decision is possible if the “submit” button has not been pressed – but whether it will lead to a higher satisfaction level is doubtful.

If the student is still stuck at the appraisal stage, even after an application has been submitted, I remind them that there is no “perfect application”. Instead, I encourage them to celebrate the mere fact that they have successfully submitted the application, regardless of the outcome. A submission indicates a culmination of a series of difficult decisions during a stressful time, and the student should take time to acknowledge this.

And now the difficult decision is left to the admissions officers. This would be a good time to tell the students that this is entirely beyond their control – until the decision to choose between offers (hopefully) rolls in. Then the tools relating to alleviating stress and applying coping strategies, exercising awareness and acceptance, and understanding appraisal and satisfaction can be applied yet again.

This article was inspired by James Lucas’s dissertation on the cognitive-affective model of decision-making stress and satisfaction