Keyword: institutional placement

ABSTRACT: College is often seen as a journey of choice and self-discovery, yet not all students can pursue the program they truly desire. While existing research has examined academic performance, career readiness, and student satisfaction, less attention has been given to how students in non-preferred programs experience, interpret, and adjust to the mismatch between their original academic preferences and their current programs. This study explored the lived experiences of college students in non-preferred programs, focusing on their initial reactions, adjustment difficulties, changing motivation, coping processes, and ways of finding meaning in an academic path they did not originally choose. A qualitative phenomenological design was employed, with five third- and fourth-year students selected through criterion sampling. Data were gathered through five semi-structured face-to-face interviews using a researcher-made interview guide and were analyzed using Colaizzi’s Method. The results show that students initially experienced confusion, low motivation, uncertainty, and difficulty adjusting to unfamiliar academic demands. Over time, their responses developed in different ways: some found personal meaning and stronger connections with their current programs, others continued to struggle while relying on support and personal goals, and some adapted mainly through practical adjustment and persistence toward graduation. Support from peers, family, and instructors, together with personal reflection and adaptive learning practices, helped students manage their academic situations. The findings show that adjustment in non-preferred programs is not a uniform process and may range from deeper personal integration to functional or instrumental persistence.