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Lucas Jaeken shares his experiences about study guidance at Obelisk in this interview. As a first-year Architecture Engineering student at the VUB in Brussels, Lucas understands how stressful it can be to choose the right study. In the following interview, he discusses his search for the ideal study and how the help of study guidance counselor Eva helped him discover his interests. Read on to find out how Lucas experienced choice guidance and what tips he has for future students.
Lucas: Sure, I'm Lucas Jaeken, 18 years old and I live in Herent. I am currently studying Bachelor of Engineering: architecture' at the VUB in Brussels. In high school I studied Latin-mathematics for the first four years and Science-mathematics for the last two years at the Paridaens Institute in Leuven.
Lucas: It wasn't easy because I have many different interests and I didn't know where to start. It was also stressful sometimes because there was pressure coming from outside. For example, friends had already decided what they wanted to study, some had even found digs. Meanwhile, I still had no idea what I wanted to do. Even my family often asked me, "Have you already made your choice of study?"
Lucas: I had a lot of wild plans! For example, I wanted to redo sixth grade in America after high school in Belgium. Or I wanted to take a gap year where I would work the first half and volunteer abroad the second half, but I was advised against this, because then you lose the 'flow' of studying. When I thought about my study options, I thought about something challenging, like something mathematical. I was still missing that in high school. I also thought about engineering, but then again I missed that creative aspect. In my current major of architecture - engineering, I have a lot of math and chemistry, but I also get to express myself creatively.
Lucas: Actually, it was my father who encouraged me to seek college guidance from Obelisk. I didn't know they offered this service, but I was glad to have this opportunity because I thought it would help me decide what I wanted to study.
Lucas: I started the study counseling in February 2022 and it lasted until April 2022. The idea was that before the Easter vacations I would know which three studies suited me best. We had a session every two weeks and later this changed to once a week. It was nice that there was time between sessions so I could do the exercises quietly.
Lucas: My friends had almost all already made their study choices. And I also experienced pressure from my family and friends. I also wondered myself why I couldn't make a study choice and my friends could. I have many interests and there are many options that all seem interesting, but nothing really stands out. And I thought "to choose is to lose. I also had no idea where I wanted to study: in Leuven, Brussels, Ghent or maybe abroad?
At school, we didn't get very good guidance. It was very small-scale: they only gave information about studies at the KUL or UCLL. The teachers recommended the website "Vraaghetaansimon.be," where we could follow tests such as chemistry and math tests. Based on our scores, a chart was drawn up with a list of studies that suited us. But I didn't really trust these scores because we could manually adjust them afterwards. There was no deeper discussion of the results of the digital test, whereas study counseling does. We were explained at school terms such as: 'tolerating credits', 'banaba', 'master', ... Furthermore, we went to an online SID-in scholarship, spending a morning at the computer.
I did some research myself, but wasn't sure where to start. I found many websites about making a study choice very vague. The only site that helped me further was "Study Portal," a website with all the studies around the world.
"On that digital test there was no deeper discussion of the results, whereas study counseling does."
Lucas: My friends already knew what they wanted to study and mostly listened to their parents. If you take a direction in high school that has to do with sciences, it's natural that you would study medicine or engineering. Friends who did not yet know what they wanted to do often chose the same studies as their parents or friends. So they were mainly influenced by external factors and no one actually really took the time to guide them in their choice of study. The subject of study choice did come up occasionally, but it was quickly brushed over. Friends who wanted to study medicine participated in the "battle keys," where the chemistry and physics material was repeated in preparation for the entrance test. Here they did talk regularly.
Lucas: Yeah, I always thought I could do it on my own and that it wouldn't really help me make a study choice. I didn't really believe in the guidance. But it paid off in the end.
Lucas: Besides being able to make a study choice, the counseling helped me gain more self-knowledge. I got to know myself better and discovered that there are many different studies to choose from. Counseling also reassured me by telling me that I could always change direction and that I still had until August to make a study choice. The counseling cleared my doubts and reduced the stress of making my choice. It also assured me that I made the right choice.
Lucas: I liked that I was really helped in making my study choice, but that it was not done for me. For example, I was encouraged to actively think and reflect using different exercises. What I especially appreciated was that I was really listened to and my thoughts and feelings were explored in depth. I had to think critically about myself and the choice I wanted to make, and that was challenging but also very valuable.
Lucas: During the counseling I was sometimes asked questions that I got stuck on because I didn't know the answers right away. Also during the exercises at home I sometimes got stuck. What I found especially difficult was that I didn't always know how to express certain things or what exactly I was looking for. My coach, Eva, helped me with this by asking me small accompanying questions and giving extra explanation. Because of her questions, I was eventually able to come to an answer. She also gave me helpful tips and tricks that I could apply during the exercises at home, which really helped me make progress.
Lucas: A disadvantage can be that the process of study counseling takes quite a lot of time and, of course, it costs more than a free online test. However, that should certainly not be a reason not to follow it. The right choice of study is incredibly important and actually determines the course of your life. Study counseling can really help you well in making the right choice and in addition, you also get to know yourself better. These are hugely valuable aspects that are well worth the investment.
Lucas: The conversations continued online all the time. At the first interview, I was immediately reassured by my coach. She pointed out to me that I didn't have to make a study choice right away. We started by exploring my interests, personality and what kind of study direction suited my talents. This was further developed in the following sessions. I was explained what study counseling entails and given homework right away, such as making a word spin of myself. If I got stuck somewhere, I decided to continue working on the exercises the next day with a fresh perspective. In the beginning, there were two weeks between meetings; toward the end, it was one week.
My study guide Eva was both calm and critical, which was very good. She questioned some of my answers and didn't mince words, but that was necessary to move forward. She was also very open and honest. For example, she told me that it is also possible that within a month I may discover another study that suits me better.
"My study guide Eva was both calm and critical, which was very good. She questioned some of my answers and didn't mince words, but that was necessary to move forward."
Lucas: Yes, I also went through the "360 degree feedback" exercise during counseling, filled out a RIASEC questionnaire and had to write down some must-haves and nice-to-haves for my future job.
Each exercise was challenging. Each time I was challenged to think and be critical of what I wrote. I had to reread and check if it was correct and if what I had written down was not nonsense. I liked that I was challenged in that way. It showed that I was consciously making my choice of study.
The most challenging exercise was the word spin. Because I really had to think for myself about who I am. For example, "creative" was a trait of mine and I had to tie seven ramifications to this and then also explain it. At the end I had a summary of who I am. Eva read these exercises and made a summary that clearly stated who I am and what I am interested in. Based on this, Eva and I went deeper into my choice of study. This exercise guided the next sessions.
"I had to reread and verify that it was correct and that what I had written down was not nonsense. I liked that I was challenged that way."
Lucas: I have found that I am good at understanding people and quickly figure out how they are put together. This is what sticks with me the most. I also realized that creativity is really important to me and I wanted to keep this in my studies.
Lucas: We looked at the possibility of studying engineering architecture, but also regular architecture and interior architecture. We started from the decision that I wanted to study something creative and challenging. We then researched studies that met these criteria. We came up with 10 studies, whose advantages and disadvantages I then listed. Based on this, we eliminated studies and eventually I arrived at three studies.
Lucas: After weighing the pros and cons of the three architecture studies and attending an information session, I realized that I found the math challenge in architecture engineering. Moreover, this study fits well with my basic math skills. Eva's critical questions during the sessions and my own active involvement in exploring the different study options helped me tie the knot and make my final choice. The goal of the sessions was to have a top three. But through the process, it became increasingly clear that engineering architecture was the right choice for me.
Lucas: I am doing well, I am very happy with my choice of study. Just this week I told those around me that I'm really glad I chose this study and I'm happy with my results so far. I passed all my courses in the first semester. Through the exercises around self-knowledge and my family's answers to the questionnaire, I am sure that I made the right choice of study. The fact that I am still so sure of my choice is due to the guidance I received during the study choice process. And when I do sometimes have doubts, I think back to all the exercises I made and realize again that this is the right choice.
