Deciding where to strike out for college can be a momentous decision. Do you travel far, run away, go to a place you’ve always wanted to go? Do you stay close, play it safe, maybe keep costs low by commuting?
When the time comes for you to decide the school to go to, everyone you know will have a say on what you should do. Your parents may already have the school they think you should go to pick out. Your extended family might have a say on what your career goals should be. Even that teacher you had that one time for biology will let you know what they think. With so many voices in your head, it’s hard to make a decision.
Feeling as if this decision is the end-all, be-all that will shape the rest of your future career doesn’t take much of that weight off; especially considering that not many people even know what they really want to do “when they grow up” when they are still in high school. The decision you make now about what to study may very well change by the time you actually get to your school of choice. So how does one chose? Well, it takes a bit of soul searching.
College is a time for expensive soul searching. A chance to pick up some skills that can be useful to you later on in life. You may leave still as lost as when you came but at the very least, you’ll have started to make a list of all the things you will not do. A list every bit as important as figuring out what you would like to do.
I chose a major in something that I wanted to learn about, something that was mentally stimulating to me. Something I knew I wouldn’t take the time to figure out on my own, but was, at its core, practical. This allowed me to gain insight into a world that I was interested in, while my personal passions drove me to go beyond classroom learning.
I picked something that many questioned, thought was more fabulous than it really was. A major that I felt good about. I stayed on a path that felt right to me, and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.
At the end of the day, people will have opinions on how you should live your life, what you should do. Sometimes rooted in fear, sometimes based on practical experience, and sometimes both.
Don’t ignore advice. Listen with an open mind, or at the very least without sass. However, feel empowered to decide whether or not to take that advice. Not all advice is good advice, and when it comes down to it, only one person’s opinion really matters. Only one person is going to be sitting in those classes and taking those tests. Only one person will have to make something of their education in those years after college. That someone is you.
Pull out that pen and paper or that digital device and put together a pro and con list. I implore you to honor yourself by listening to yourself – that inner voice – when choosing the college to go to.
Caia Rose 