What should you consider when choosing a high school track? Weighing interests, abilities and goals, handling family expectations and coping with indecision.
The spring term of Year 10. At break time the topic is always the same: "What are you going to choose?" Half the class say they will sign up for the science and maths track, because "it keeps doors open". A friend has settled on equal weight; she wants to be a lawyer. You, meanwhile, see the sixteen-year-old who is asked this question quietly pushing food around their plate at dinner. They love biology but are afraid of maths exams; they read history books like novels, yet say, "If I choose verbal, everyone will laugh at me." For many young people, choosing a high school track looks like the first big decision of their lives. This decision is sometimes a source of excitement, sometimes of intense anxiety. In this article I look at what can be considered when choosing a track, the effect of family and social pressure on this decision, and how indecision can be handled.
What Is Choosing a High School Track, and Why Is It Taken So Seriously?
In Turkey, high school students usually decide, at the end of Year 10, which group of subjects they will focus on in their final two years. This choice is closely linked to the score types in the university entrance exam: science and maths (SAY), equal weight (EA), verbal (SÖZ) and foreign language (DİL). Each score type opens the door to different degree programmes. For example, medicine, engineering and many science departments admit students with the science and maths score; law, psychology, business and economics with the equal weight score; and departments such as history, literature and geography with the verbal score.
Because timetables and selection procedures can change from time to time with regulations in the education system, finding out the current practice and timetable at your school from the school counselling service is always the soundest route. The focus of this article, however, is less the regulations than the psychological side of the decision.
One reason this choice is taken so seriously is that the young person and their family see the decision as a step that "determines the rest of your life". Yet although this decision is important, it is not a crossroads from which there is no way back at all. The heavy meaning loaded onto choosing a track often locks the decision up rather than making it easier.
What Should You Consider When Choosing a High School Track?
A good track decision rests not on a single criterion but on several different questions considered together.
Interest: In which lesson do you lose track of time?
Interest is one of the strongest sources of motivation in the long term. Asking the young person these questions can be illuminating: Which subject's homework do you do without putting it off? What topics do you watch videos or read books about in your free time? In which discussions could you talk for hours? Do you learn about a subject because you are curious, rather than "because you have to for school"?
Ability and achievement: What do grades tell you, and what do they not?
Grades are an important source of information, but they do not tell the whole story. A young person who gets low marks in maths may in fact be struggling because of a gap left from the basics or because of exam anxiety. Conversely, a young person who gets high marks in a subject may not like that area at all. Alongside grades, it is also necessary to look at how much effort the young person puts into learning a topic and what they do when they find it hard.
Values and goals: What kind of life do you imagine?
Even for young people without a particular career goal, these questions can help: Do you enjoy working with people, numbers, texts or objects? Do you see yourself in an office, out in the field, in a laboratory or in a classroom? Which values matter more to you: money, security, creativity, helping people?
The link between score type and degree programme
Researching together which score type admits students to a few degree programmes that interest the young person makes an abstract decision concrete. This research sometimes produces surprising results, too. For example, for a young person who is curious about biology and human behaviour but struggles with maths, learning that psychology admits students with the equal weight score can open a whole new window on their decision.
Taking a realistic look at the exam load of the track
The track decision also sets the study routine for the next two years. The basic proficiency test is common to all students; but in the field proficiency tests, each score type gives weight to different subjects. There is a point that is often overlooked here: the equal weight score includes maths too. A young person who says, "I'm choosing equal weight to get away from maths" may come up against this subject again in the months ahead. In the science and maths track, the load of physics, chemistry and biology, and in the verbal track, subjects in the history, geography and philosophy group, require intensive reading and memorisation. Talking about which kind of studying the young person is more suited to, that is, whether they learn more effectively by solving problems or by reading and interpreting, puts the decision on a realistic footing.
Interest and aptitude inventories used in school counselling services can also be a helpful tool in this process. However, the results of these inventories should be seen not as definitive guidance but as a map for starting a conversation.
Common Mistakes in Choosing a High School Track
Deciding according to friends. The thought "All my friends are going for science and maths" is extremely powerful during adolescence. But friends change and classes get mixed up; the young person who has to study subjects they do not like for two years pays that price alone.
Deciding according to a single teacher. A negative experience with one teacher can create a prejudice against an entire area. Conversely, a much-loved teacher can make the young person's interest in that area seem greater than it is.
Blindly trusting the idea that "science and maths keeps doors open". The idea that the science and maths track offers more options may be partly true. But a young person who spends two years in an area they have no interest in and constantly struggle with may, with lost motivation, low scores and shaken confidence, be unable to walk through any of these "open doors".
Looking down on the verbal track. Prejudices such as "Verbal is the track for lazy students" are quite widespread in Turkey. Yet every track has its own particular challenges, and many departments entered with the verbal score open up meaningful and valuable careers for young people who are interested in them. The young person needs to be given the right to decide according to their own inclinations, not according to these prejudices.
Putting the decision off completely. Some young people who experience indecision anxiety avoid thinking about it until the last moment and make the decision at random, on the final day. An assessment process that starts early and moves forward step by step reduces anxiety.
When Family Expectations and the Young Person's Wishes Clash
In Turkey, many families hold strong hopes for their child's future. Expectations such as "Let them be a doctor", "Let them be an engineer so they won't be unemployed" or "Let them be a teacher and have a secure job" usually come from love and from financial worries. At times when the cost of living and fear of unemployment are keenly felt, these expectations become even more pronounced. But an expectation that does not match the young person's interests and abilities can lead to serious inner conflict.
Picture this: a young person who is good at maths but whose real passion is history and law sinks into a tense silence at dinner every evening because of their family's expectation, "Study science and maths and become an engineer." They neither want to hurt their family nor can they give up their own wish. This tension makes both the choice of track and the relationship with the family harder.
Accompanying a young person's choice does not mean choosing for them; it means providing the information and confidence they need to think their choice through well.
Some suggestions for parents:
- Listen first. Try to understand what the young person wants and why they want it. A reaction such as "Law? What will you do as a lawyer?" ends the conversation before it has begun.
- Separate out your own anxiety. How much of your expectation rests on the young person's wellbeing, and how much on your own past dreams or your worries about the future? Answering this question honestly gives the young person more open space.
- Gather information together. Research together the degree programmes related to the area the young person is interested in, the job opportunities, and the experiences of people working in that field. A short chat with a lawyer, an engineer or a psychologist you know can be more instructive than many brochures.
- Accept that the decision belongs to the young person. Sharing your view is your right, but it is the young person who will study those subjects for two years and walk that path.
For a more detailed look at families' career expectations, you can take a look at the article on family pressure over careers.
Coping with Indecision and the Fear of Making the Wrong Choice
Some young people cannot decide not because they do not know what they want, but because of the fear that "If I make the wrong choice, my life will be ruined." This fear is particularly marked in young people who are perfectionists and who are intensely wary of making mistakes.
For these young people, the following perspectives can help:
- There is no perfect choice. Every track will have aspects the young person will love and aspects they will find hard. The aim is not a perfect decision but a good-enough one.
- The decision is not irreversible. Options such as changing track, preparing for a different score type after leaving school, or a double major or minor at university show that paths are not completely closed. These are not easy routes, but they exist.
- Career paths are not a straight line. Many adults work in a job quite different from the track they chose at high school. Choosing a track is a direction, not a prison.
- Try small experiments. A summer school, a short online course, or a science or debating club related to the areas the young person is interested in provides real experience before the decision.
The indecision anxiety experienced while choosing a high school track may resurface later during the university preference period; the article on university preference anxiety offers further suggestions on this.
When Should You Seek Professional Support?
A certain amount of indecision and anxiety during the track selection process is entirely natural. However, it may be helpful to see a specialist in these situations:
- The young person is experiencing sleeplessness, loss of appetite, intense tension or crying spells because of indecision
- The conflict between the family and the young person is markedly spoiling the general atmosphere at home
- The young person is deeply unhappy and unmotivated because they have been steered towards a track against their own wishes
- Exam anxiety, perfectionism or self-confidence problems are markedly complicating the decision-making process
- The young person expresses thoughts of hopelessness or worthlessness, or thoughts such as "Nothing has any meaning"
How Is Indecision About Choosing a Track Addressed in Therapy?
The aim in therapy is not to decide on the young person's behalf but to support the inner clarity and confidence they need to make their own decision. Through questions and exercises aimed at exploring their interests, values and strengths, the young person gets to know themselves better.
In the cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) approach, thoughts such as "If I choose wrongly, it's all over" or "If I choose verbal, my family will see me as a failure" are examined and more balanced perspectives are developed. If perfectionism or a fear of failure lies behind the indecision, these issues are addressed too. Where necessary, sessions with parents help to build a bridge between the family's expectations and the young person's wishes. You can find detailed information about work with young people on the adolescent counselling page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a high school track be changed later?
Depending on the school's resources and the current regulations, a change of track or subject group may be possible under certain conditions. Such a change may require making up the subjects that were missed. In this situation, talking to your school's counselling service early on lets you find out the options clearly.
Should the decision be based on grades or on interest?
The two should be considered together. Interest feeds motivation in the long term, while grades show the young person's current level of readiness. In an area of interest where grades are low, understanding the reason for the low grades and planning extra support if needed is one way of reconciling the two criteria.
What should I do if my teenager is not interested in any track?
Some young people do not feel a clear interest in any area at this age, and this is very common. In this case, thinking about the area they find least difficult and least boring, looking at their interests outside school and trying small experiments can be illuminating. If the lack of interest is accompanied by long-lasting unhappiness, loss of energy and withdrawal, it is advisable to assess with a specialist whether there is another difficulty underlying it.
What kind of option is the foreign language track?
For young people with an interest in and aptitude for foreign languages, the language score opens the door to programmes such as translation and interpreting, foreign language and literature departments, and language teaching. Because exam preparation in this track is largely concentrated on a single language, it is important that the young person genuinely loves that language and can study regularly. You need to find out in advance from the counselling service whether this track is offered at your school and how many places it has.
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Eda Erkan Alapala
Klinik Psikolog. İstanbul Kent Üniversitesi Klinik Psikoloji Tezli Yüksek Lisans mezunu; bilişsel davranışçı terapi, çocuk merkezli oyun terapisi ve çocuk-ergen psikoterapisi alanlarında eğitimlerini tamamlamıştır.
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