No Regrets – How to Make Informed Decisions About College

Back in school? Hopefully you’ve made an informed decision choosing the school you attend, your major, and your field of study.

 

(Image: iStock/jhorrocks)

 

 

According to research from Gallup, however, that’s unlikely. A majority—51%—of U.S. adults regret at least one of these key higher education decisions—and African Americans and Asians are most likely to do so.

“Half of all U.S. adults would change at least one of three education choices—their degree, field of study, or institution—suggesting that students need more information and help in making these decisions. Minority students are slightly more likely than whites to regret an education decision, mainly because the former are more likely to have second thoughts about the institution they attended,” writes Gallup.

Here’s an excerpt about this phenomenon from the management consulting company.

About half of U.S. adults express some regret when reflecting on their education experiences, but racial and ethnic minority groups are slightly more likely than whites to regret at least one of three key education decisions—their degree, the institution they attended, or their field of study. The relatively higher percentage of blacks, Asians, and Hispanics who regret their choice of school is driving these overall differences.

These results are based on more than 130,000 interviews conducted as part of the Education Consumer Pulse from June 29, 2016 to July 30, 2017. The Education Consumer Pulse, launched in 2016 by Gallup and Strada Education Network, is a nationally representative poll of U.S. adults aged 18–65 in all 50 states and the District of Columbia in which respondents are asked to reflect on their education experiences.

The findings suggest that racial or ethnic minority students may need more guidance when making critical education decisions. In contrast to the moderate differences in education regret seen among racial and ethnic groups, Gallup found slight differences between men and women, and no relationship between regret and age.

For all racial and ethnic groups, field of study and choice of institution are the areas in which most would do things differently. Hispanics (34%) are less likely than other racial and ethnic groups to wish they selected a different major or field of study.

Thirty-three percent of blacks and Asians would have attended a different institution, compared with 27% of whites and 30% of Hispanics.

Of the three education decisions, U.S. adults (12%) are least likely to say they would change the level of degree they obtained. But blacks (14%) are slightly more likely than whites, (12%), Hispanics (12%) and Asians (11%) to say they would pick a different degree if they could.

Read more at Gallup.