Choose your next path on paper

Personal & Social Development · Self-Awareness · ages 16-18

Name ______________________ Date ____________

How do you separate what you want from what others want for you?
- Obey every expectation at once
- Write two lists and dig into every gap
- Rebel against every expectation
What should a fair side by side comparison cover?
- Cost, time, and what each path leaves open
- Which path sounds grander
- Which path friends prefer
Reversible parts of a decision deserve slower thought than irreversible parts.
Circle one: True False
Your ranking names a winner. What should you do before committing?
- Commit instantly without a backward glance
- Test it cheaply by shadowing, a short course, or talking to people ahead
- Debate it alone for another year
Two courses both look good. What moves the choice from vibes to facts?
- Listing what matters and scoring each course on each factor
- Rereading the brochures dreamily
- Asking which campus photographs better
Why does a path built on someone else's values feel empty?
- Values never matter
- Empty paths pay better
- Borrowed wants fade once the applause stops
Theo can switch degree courses freely in year one but not after. How should he treat the year one choice?
- As reversible, so test it fast with real classes
- As irreversible, so freeze entirely
- As unimportant, so decide by coin toss
Noor fears a gap year keeps options open or closes them. What is the honest answer?
- It always keeps every door open
- It always closes every door
- It keeps options open only with a plan to earn, learn, and reapply on time

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Write two lists and dig into every gap · Overlap can be trusted and gaps need digging. Blind obedience and blind rebellion both skip the thinking.
Cost, time, and what each path leaves open · Full pictures beat highlights. Prestige and peer pressure both hide the real trade.
False · False. It runs the other way. Cheap-to-undo parts invite fast tests, while door-closing parts earn slow care.
Test it cheaply by shadowing, a short course, or talking to people ahead · Small experiments beat long debates. A cheap surprise now saves an expensive one later.
Listing what matters and scoring each course on each factor · Scoring forces hidden assumptions into the open. You may find one course credited with things it never offers.
Borrowed wants fade once the applause stops · Energy in hard stretches comes from your own top values. Prestige pumps fail exactly when you need them most.
As reversible, so test it fast with real classes · Year one is cheap to undo, which invites quick testing. The freeze belongs to the later, door-closing choice.
It keeps options open only with a plan to earn, learn, and reapply on time · Drifting with no plan closes more doors than it opens. A planned year of earning and learning is what keeps them open.