August 2024 Editorial: Turning Indecision into Action and Beating Choice Paralysis

Above, one of our recent "Millie's Guide" covering Maths majors.

Article written by Giuseppe Iademarco, Millie's co-founder.

For graduates of international schools, the “paradox of choice” is a real struggle.

Overwhelmed by too many options in terms of destination countries, university majors, and careers, students sometimes can't make a decision. This is more than simply a psychological barrier - seemingly unlimited options can lead to feeling unsatisfied even after a decision has been made, as the thought of the alternatives that have been missed out on creates regret and second thoughts.

"Seemingly unlimited options can lead to feeling unsatisfied even after a decision has been made"

A simple solution to this problem would be to reduce the amount of choices students have to make. However, this is impractical due to the complexity of modern life, especially for international students who are surrounded by incredible opportunities. Also, it would be contrary to a fundamental tenet of good education, which is about expanding students’ horizons, not narrowing them.

One potential solution lies in exposing students to real life stories that a) can show them that this is a universal problem that people face, at all ages, and 2) can inspire them to take action after realizing what’s possible.

School counselors can play an active role in getting the right stories in front of their students, by mobilizing a number of diverse stakeholders - personal contacts, alumni, parents, and people from the wider school community that can step in and help. Inviting people into school (be it online or in person) requires a good amount of coordination and logistical efforts. However, it never ceases to surprise me how much people are genuinely eager to help, when they are given the chance. Opportunity makes a thief, but also a good mentor.

"Opportunity makes a thief, but also a good mentor"

One of the areas we specialize in at Millie is to bring inspiring and engaging mentors into schools, after identifying and vetting the best ones we can find. We focus on people who are early in their career (on average they have 4.5 years of work experience), so they are more connected to the emerging fields our students will be entering, and not too distant from what students are feeling when they speak to them. Our workshops are sometimes moderated by the host school’s students (or recent alumni), who we train for the job. While we can cover the entire world, and our network is ever expanding, we give counselors a limited number of sectors to choose from. Choice paralysis is real for everyone in the end, not just students.