College is a time of choices, from majors to roommates, extracurriculars to coursework. In order to make the best choices for you, you have to know yourself. To that end, discovering your Myers-Briggs personality type is invaluable to succeeding in college and beyond.

The Four Dimension Preferences of Type

There are 16 MBTI personality types, based on four metrics of preferred personality styles:

  • Extroversion vs. Introversion (E or I): Source of energy and stimulation
  • Intuition vs. Sensing (N or S): Way of gathering information
  • Feeling vs. Thinking (F or T): Way of making decisions
  • Perceiving vs. Judging (P or J): Lifestyle preferences

Each of the 16 types exhibits unique characteristics, learning styles, and preferences. Knowing your type can help you select courses, majors, extracurricular activities, summer plans – even roommates! It can even help you improve your study habits and manage the stress of, say, finals week.

The Heart of Type

The two middle letters of your type are considered “the heart of type” and are known as your “functions”: they represent the way you gather information, and then use that information to make decisions.  These functions correlate with specific fields of study. Knowing the fields most correlated to your type may help guide your exploration. Here are a few examples:

  • People who have an “ST” personality type use the Sensing function to gather information and the Thinking function to make decisions.  STs are often the most practical and hands on types, excelling as engineers and accountants, or pursuing a skilled trade.
  • People who have an “NF” personality type use the Intuition function to gather information and the Feeling function to make decisions.  NFs may tend toward creative professions in art, music and writing, or may make use of their emotional awareness as counselors and educators.

It is important to note that despite these correlations, every type is represented in every career and field of study, and each type can be successful in any career or field or study.  Other factors besides personality may play a role in your decision to pursue certain fields or careers, such as the influence of family or culture. To learn more, contact www.collegiategateway.com.