Choosing which subjects to take in your senior years of high school can be a lot of pressure. Between your family, friends and school all sharing their suggestions, you may be feeling a bit confused. Here’s how to gain some clarity.

Your personality

Your personality, interests and all the other things that make you unique are a great place to start when thinking about your subject choice. Even if you’re interested in a subject, it still needs to be compatible with your personality, as well as your aptitudes (natural ability to do specific things). One fun and easy way to get to know your personality and which careers suit you is to take our free Career Interest Test.

Your goals

Your goals will probably change throughout your academic years, and that’s ok. As long as you check in with them frequently, you’ll be able to stay on track. Your short-term goals can include things such as getting 4 distinctions in your prelims, or joining the Advanced Mathematics class. Long-term goals can refer to which degree you’d like to get in varsity and what kind of career you’d like to have once you graduate. Whenever you set your goals, make sure they’re SMART by using this handy test.

Your plan

Having a plan of action when it comes to your subject choice will save you a lot of stress in the long run. Think about whether or not this subject counts towards your varsity or college acceptance. Remember that even if you do make a mistake, you’ll probably have an option to change a subject later on. But be sure to learn about your school’s rules when it comes to this.

Your choice

Ultimately, the subjects you choose in high school will impact your future, and you know best what kind of life you’d like to live. You don’t need to have it all figured out at the moment, but having an idea of what kind of career and lifestyle you’d like will help you make the right subject choices. Would you like to travel? If so, a subject that can get you a remote job (such as Information Technology or Design) is for you. Do you want to make the world a better place? Then subjects such as History and Geography would be good choices. Think about the value that each subject can bring, not just in terms of your marks but also in terms of the knowledge you’ll gain.

Your mental health

While subject choice worries are normal, some students may feel pressure that makes their school experience stressful. It’s important to be aware of your mental health, and take care of yourself. Here are some self-care ideas you can try out during your subject choice during this time. Remember that choosing the wrong subject isn’t the end of the world, and there are ways you can still make your choices work for you.

Now that you know what to consider when choosing your subjects, you can feel more confident that you’re making a good choice. Remember that you can send us a private message on AskCellCgirl about subject choices or anything else you need advice on. Good luck!