Educational institutions should dissuade students from pursuing fields of study in which they are unlikely to succeed Write a response in which you discuss your views on the policy and explain your reasoning for the position you take In developing and sup

Deciding on a career path is one of the most important decisions that a young adult is faced with. The prompt recommends for educational institutions to dissuade students from pursuing fields in which they are unlikely to succeed. In my opinion, I strongly disagree with this statement and argue that limiting students’ aspirations can be detrimental to their potential, for two reasons.

Firstly, there are many possible consequences that can come from telling an individual whether or not they are capable of achieving a goal. One’s career path is not in the hands of an institution. For instance, there are plenty of studies demonstrating the relationship between social support and success - those who receive emotional support tend to have a higher sense of self-efficacy and are therefore more likely to succeed in a given task than those who are deterred from pursuing the task. That being said, it is likely that a student who is advised against pursuing a field by their own institution will be personally impacted by the institutions lack of faith in his abilities. This example illustrates that dissuading students based off unknown predictions can be detrimental to their confidence and self-efficacy.

Secondly, telling students that they are unlikely to succeed in a given field may result in a self-fulfilling prophecy. For example, suppose that the student continues his pursuit in the field of psychology, despite concerns expressed by his very own institution. The simple knowledge that his own institution censures his career path and has no faith in his abilities may negatively impact his mental health and confidence. As a result, this may hinder his motivation and performance, thereby supporting the institutions suggestions and impede further on the student’s self-efficacy. This example illustrates that the act of dissuading students can in turn create a barrier to their success – one that would not have existed otherwise.

Some may argue that dissuading the pursuit of an unrealistic field of study may ultimately help students, as learning the hard way will result in wasted time and money. However, a healthier and more effective approach would be to inform students that hard work pays off, and to encourage students strive to become their best selves. Rather than adopting a limiting influence, educational institutions should use their power to spread hope and positivity.