A Study of Malaysian High School Leavers’ Dilemma in Choosing Varsity Courses

On an annual basis, data shows that there are numerous university and college students that fail to complete their courses and graduate with the intended degree or diploma in hand. The aim of this study is to explore the factors that influences the decision making of a student when it comes to choosing varsity courses, investigate how these factors can impact the students’ decisions and provide recommendation on how the cognitive behaviour and academic excellence can be used to make a sound decision, setting the students for success in their varsity life. This research has narrowed down to three major factors which are personal, interpersonal and environmental. The study is conducted using a Likert scale method further expanding the factors into subdivisions for the participants to rank. The population (data set) for this survey is 50 students from all walks of life but concentrated in Klang Valley. The key findings from the study shows the most prominent factor are Personal factors. The second most influential item are Environmental factors. Interpersonal factors come in third. Concluding this research, it is prudent to obtain a bigger and robust data set. A future practical application of this research can be developed by a tool which further provides a systematic solution for all its users to yield the best potential and make the bestinformed decision when furthering their education.