The freedom of choice… and the stress that follows

“It shouldn’t be the case, though, if the school distributes key decisions across the length of the programme and gives students the support they need to navigate them as part of a discovery journey,” says Professor Rodriguez.

Whether or not students get overwhelmed by this decision making comes down to the sequence of decisions and support built into the programme, he explains. By navigating decisions progressively, starting small and building towards more complex choices later on, students will develop confidence and trust in their own ability to shape their degree. Yet, schools must also offer guidance.

At INCAE, each programme begins with a common core, tailored to the realities of the Latin American context, and elective courses are progressively introduced partway through, as students begin to discover their interests. The more complex decisions are made later, in the advanced stages of the programme, together with a dedicated support structure and counseling.

Complex decisions can cause excessive fatigue

However, it’s not just the number of decisions students are expected to make, but the complexity of these decisions.

This is backed up by research from Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, which shows that extensive choice sets can reduce satisfaction, confidence, and motivation to choose, particularly when options are complex, difficult to compare, or when people are uncertain about their own preferences.

“This doesn’t necessarily mean that universities should reduce choice altogether, and remove flexibility from their programmes, but it does suggest that students might benefit from curated pathways recommendations, and examples from previous students,” says Ceren Sahin, Associate Professor in Marketing at Aalto University School of Business in Finland. “The aim should not be to remove choice, but to make choice navigable.”

She adds that choice can be empowering when it gives people a meaningful sense of agency and fit, but can become overwhelming when people are asked to compare too many options without clear criteria, guidance or a strong sense of their own preferences. Universities can work with students to ensure that’s not the case.

When is choice positive?

Having a lot of options doesn’t have to be a bad thing, and it’s something that students often value – and even expect – when choosing their MBA programme.

“Younger cohorts entering these programmes often express a stronger demand for personalised learning journeys, individual attention, and support in navigating complex career transitions,” says Stefano Pogutz, Director of the full-time MBA program at Italy-based SDA Bocconi School of Management. “Many students arrive in an exploratory phase, with professional trajectories that are still evolving.”

While they’re figuring out the right career path, students expect their university or business school to help them design this journey. This is particularly true for MBA candidates, who are often looking to move from one industry to another. In this context, Pogutz says, flexibility is valuable, but only if it is curated.

At SDA Bocconi, customisation is a distinctive feature of the MBA programme and this is combined with care and attention to students’ individual career aspirations.

However, Pogutz explains that flexibility is not just an academic option that is offered, but also a pedagogical feature.

“Students learn how to define priorities, assess alternatives, make decisions and take responsibility for their choices. Future managers must be able to deal with uncertainty, manage ambiguity and overcome the anxiety that can arise when multiple paths are open at the same time,” he says.

From this perspective, choice gives students the customisation features they crave, while also offering a lesson in consequential decision-making.

Navigating regret

Sadly, having lots of choices can also bring feelings of regret, as people make one decision and then wonder how another might have played out. It’s easy for candidates to imagine — particularly if they’re struggling with a module, or going through a tough time — that an alternative choice would’ve made all the difference.

With over a third of students saying they’d change what or where they’d study, it’s worth noting that this figure rose to 52 percent among graduates interviewed in HEPI’s report– with most of this regret referring to the course or modules selected, not the institution.

Many felt they lacked sufficient information or careers guidance to make the best choice.

Julia Wilhelm, a Master’s in Management student at Germany’s Mannheim Business School, says that the fear of making a decision and therefore missing out on another opportunity is a concern many students have.

“Choosing a specialisation naturally means spending less time on other subjects, so there is always the question of whether you might be missing out on other opportunities,” says Wilhelm. “However, I have learned that it is impossible to do everything. Focusing on the topics that genuinely interested me allowed me to develop stronger expertise and made studying much more motivating.”

Wilhelm believes that students must take an active role in exploring the opportunities available to them, although she admits this is difficult for students who aren’t following a particular career trajectory. To make these decisions easier, she believes universities and business schools should offer more opportunities to better connect academic choices with potential career paths.

One of the hardest decisions she had to make while studying at Mannheim was whether to specialise in one area, such as sustainable management, or keep her studies broad by taking courses from different fields like finance, marketing, and accounting. Both approaches seemed to have clear advantages.

She eventually chose to specialise in sustainable management, as she wanted to build expertise in a field she felt particularly passionate about.

“I was able to shape my studies in the direction I had hoped for. Looking back, I am very happy with my decision. The specialised knowledge I gained has prepared me well for my future career, and I found it valuable to connect insights across related courses,” Wilhelm says.

Too much choice, or not enough?

Every student is different: some prefer more customisation in their courses; others find these decisions paralysing and prefer a structured approach. It is up to each institution to decide what is right for their students and their programmes.

The balance for higher education institutions is putting time and resources into helping students make the choices that are right for them.