Stream Selection For Class 11: What To Do When You Don’t Fit In Any Of The Three Streams

The question, “Which stream are you going to take?”, makes many high schoolers and their parents shudder with fear.

It is not because they don’t want to answer; it is because they don’t have an answer to the question! In their hearts, they have not found the subjects in the traditional education streams of science, commerce or humanities interesting enough to pursue at high school. Additionally, for many of the new subjects such as economics, business studies, and accountancy, students are not aware of their liking or preference, since they have not been exposed to these subjects until class 10. So, what do you do if you are not sure how to choose a stream in class 11, or if you would much rather not study any of the conventional streams? This is a common confusion and source of anxiety amongst parents and students alike.

Listed below are some suggestions for students who don’t find themselves fitting into any one stream.

Reconsider Your Dislike For A Subject

Many students end up giving up subjects like maths and physics only to realize years later that they enjoyed the subjects; it was only the style of instruction that they did not like. A simple way to check if this may be true for you is to pick any topic that is of general interest in a subject you dislike and watch a good YouTube video or read a good book about it. Then ask yourself, if you dislike the subject or it was just something about the method of delivery and testing that made it difficult for you. Try this for a variety of different subjects and topics that you feel you dislike and consider if these subjects would interest you if taught differently.

List All Activities And Hobbies You Pursue

Formal school education tends to place less emphasis on extracurricular activities. Many students are encouraged to pursue hobbies till grade 8 because academics and competitive exams become more important only after this time. In today’s world, many careers like design, sports, administration, hospitality, investment banking, marketing, sales, journalism, alternative health care, dance, law, fitness, etc. are not based on any specific stream in school. Most of these careers are taught entirely from scratch at the undergraduate levels while some like dance or fitness may be taught in various hobby and talent classes. If none of the streams interests you, start asking yourself what are the areas that you want to pursue a career in which are prevalent outside of school.

Do Your Research

Read, listen, watch informative channels, and keep your eyes and ears open to information on different streams and careers. The more you research, the more you will get a perspective and understanding of which streams will work for you best. There are many free webinars and videos released by professionals, career websites and career counsellors. Start following relevant social media pages and explore your interests.

Check Subject Options Available In Your School

Many schools offer different education boards (IB, Cambridge, etc.) and the subjects offered here can be a good mix of commerce, science and humanities-related subjects. For example, you could take chemistry, physics and political science together in some boards. These schools are usually more expensive; however, they give you far more options than those available in the conventional science, humanities and commerce streams. So, you may take a mix of subjects you enjoy. Just make sure your selections are in tune with what you want to study further.

Choose Subjects You Find Easy Or Enjoy

In case the careers you want to choose after school are totally new and unrelated to the subjects taught in school, you could choose a stream you find easy or enjoyable. This offers you formal mainstream education while providing you time to prepare for your other entrance exams. For example, an aspiring professional sportsperson may find it easier to study commerce or humanities rather than the sciences. This will also give the student time to play, exercise and train seriously for championships and tournaments.

Take Subjects That Meet Your Career's Eligibility Criteria

Some careers like army, navy, architecture etc. have courses that require you to study physics, chemistry and maths in classes 11 and 12. However, the selection is always through entrance exams that have minimum eligibility criteria of 50 to 60 percent marks in your board exams. Many students who want to pursue these careers may not enjoy PCM and prefer to take commerce or humanities subjects instead, thereby ending up losing an opportunity to join their dream career. In these situations, it is better to just study those subjects for a few years and work to clear the entrance exams. A couple of years of struggle is better than giving up a career you like for life!

Consider Taking A Liberal Arts Course

Often, you will find that you like reading about many different subjects, but the moment it becomes too detailed you start losing interest! Alternatively, you would like a few more years to explore different subjects before you narrow down your area of specialization. In such cases, you would benefit from taking a course that offers a mix of different subjects at the undergraduate level. For example, liberal arts courses offer subjects like political science, sociology, psychology, English, math, etc. thus giving a broader overview of many different areas. Similarly, courses in life sciences offer you a broad spectrum to choose from so you get more time to select your area of work. Some universities offer you a mix of science and humanities subjects at the undergraduate level too. So, do consider taking a liberal arts course that gives you an overview of many subjects if you feel that’s more like you! This also serves as a great training ground for many competitive exams like the GRE, UPSC, etc.

Consult A Career Counsellor

It often helps to consult a career counsellor who is trained in detailed psychometric profiling and understands the trends in the industry. The counsellor can help you gain greater self-awareness about yourself and careers that are aligned with you. The detailed psychometric profiling and reflections can help you reconsider your likes and preferences for many subject options. In many situations, students have taken decisions to enter difficult career-related courses once they discovered where their true interests and strengths lie and found the motivation within them to study diligently. Parents are also able to support their kids more once they get a better idea of their child’s inherent strengths.

Lastly, avoid making your subject choices wherein you forcibly take a stream like science because you fear negative judgment from people around you. This is a common social challenge and causes students a lot of stress and anxiety.

So go on and choose from the different education boards in India and the education streams that fit your interests and career aspirations. Good Luck!

Dr. Srividya is an organisational psychologist, career, and personal growth coach. She works with teens, parents, adults, and returning professionals, to help them align their personal and professional needs, desires, and overcome personal and professional challenges. She can be reached at www.lifevidya.in.