Decisions, decisions! Life is full of decisions, and we have to start making some of the big, scary ones when we are not yet adults. In many countries, including the UK, sixteen-year- olds have to decide which subjects to specialise in for their last two years of secondary school. (11) So, if, let’s say, at sixteen you chose to study three modern languages, art and maths for your last two years of secondary education, you wouldn’t find it easy to get a place at medical, dentistry or veterinary schools. The reason is that all of them require you to have studied maths and two or three science subjects. Having said that, if you were really determined to be a doctor, dentist or vet, you would, of course, be able to spend an additional year or two after leaving school catching up with the science you had missed out on. (12) Choosing the right college or university takes a lot of evaluation, too. Young people can be torn between the quality of a course offered at a particular university nowhere near where they live, and the attraction of a university conveniently close to their home, but where the course might not be as interesting. (13) For many students, renting a flat rather than staying in free accommodation at home is not an option. Selecting a course, whatever the college’s location, is not always easy either. How do we know we are going to enjoy a course in media studies, for example, when we’ve never even tried the subject? We don’t, unfortunately! (14) For example, we can read about the courses that we’re interested in, consult other students who have experience of the college we are proposing to go to, and go to open days. They’re the best way of evaluating a course. And they give us the chance to speak to students currently on the course we’re interested in, and to ask questions. It’s probably a good idea to consider the career prospects and the amount we could earn after taking a particular course. After all, however much we love our subject, only a minority of us study purely for the sake of study. It’s true that some of us want to be artists, actors, musicians, sportsmen and sportswomen – careers that don’t guarantee decent incomes, unfortunately. But we should think hard about the risks involved and try to be practical. So if you’re planning to be a rock star, you need a plan B too! (15) Let’s say you have done all your homework. You’ve researched the university, the campus, the course, its career prospects, the fees, the student facilities and free- time activities and you still can’t make up your mind. What do you do? Make a list of the pros and cons of the university or course, and come to a sensible decision based on that. (16) Use it when you can’t make up your mind about which club to join, which project to do, even which trainers to buy! The tough truth is that making decisions is dicult. And we can’t know if we’ve made a correct one until we experience the consequences of our choice. (17) And in any case, as a twelfth-century philosopher said, ‘The risk of a wrong decision is preferable to the terror of indecision’. UNIT 9: SKILLS TEST A Name: Class: 2ND EDITION First for Schools B2