Guidance & Careers
Reorientation Interview
A reorientation interview is a one-to-one conversation with a student who doubts their programme or wants to change direction. The aim is neither to keep them in the course nor to push them out, but to understand where the doubt comes from, what they would like instead and which routes exist. Here are the questions to ask, in an order that avoids making the student feel they have failed.
17 questions
When to use this template
- When a student says they are in the wrong course, or their results and attendance suggest doubt.
- After a first semester or first year, when many students reassess their choice.
- Before a deadline to change programme, apply to a new one or request a transfer.
- After a failed exam or a repeated year, when the student wonders whether to carry on.
Questions to ask
Understanding the doubt
- 01What made you start questioning your course?
- 02When did you first have this feeling?
- 03What exactly is not working: the content, the teaching, the pace, the people or something else?
- 04Is the doubt about this course in particular, or about studying in general?
Looking back at the choice
- 05Why did you choose this course in the first place?
- 06What did you expect that you have not found?
- 07Is there anything in your studies that you still enjoy?
- 08What have you learned about yourself since you started?
Exploring other directions
- 09What would you like to do instead, even if it is only a vague idea?
- 10Which subjects, activities or jobs attract you now?
- 11What have you already done to explore these ideas?
- 12What worries you about changing direction?
Routes and next steps
- 13What do you need to know about the options, such as deadlines, admission requirements and equivalences for what you have already studied?
- 14What would it mean for your budget, your housing and your family?
- 15What would you like to try or check in the next two weeks?
- 16Who else should you talk to, inside or outside the school?
- 17When shall we meet again to review the situation?
Tips for a useful conversation
- Present reorientation as a normal, legitimate step and not as a failure.
- Take the time to understand the reasons before talking about solutions: a doubt about the course is not the same as a doubt about studying.
- Look at what the student has gained, such as skills, credits and clarity about their tastes, so they do not feel the time was wasted.
- Give accurate information on deadlines and transfer conditions, and say clearly when you do not know.
- Do not decide for the student: set out the options, the trade-offs and the next step they choose.
Mistakes to avoid
- Trying to convince the student to stay in the course by default.
- Pushing a quick change of direction, which risks repeating the same mistake.
- Neglecting the practical and financial consequences of changing course.
- Treating the interview as a one-off instead of following up on the student's exploration.
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