Picking a major and college is a struggle, especially if you don’t know what you want to do. When I started looking at colleges, I had no idea where to eve start because I had no idea what I wanted to do. I was about 17 years old, what do you expect? How are 17 and 18 year olds expected to know what they want to do the rest of their life? Although it varies, about 50% of students are undecided on their majors when they go off to college, and about 70% of students change their major at least once during their years of college. For me, I came to Nazareth College undecided, and I learned a lot the past year. Here is what I learned from going to college undecided
1. Go to college undecided is scary, but it’s okay to not know what you want to do the rest of your life.
2. Don’t let other people influence your decision on what college to go to (i.e. boyfriend, best friend, parents, etc.)
It’s your life and you know what you want and what will be best for you.
3. Don’t let people tell you what to major in either, but be careful and listen to what they have to say.
People that we are close with can sometimes know us better than we know ourselves. Don’t let them choose for you, but don’t close your mind off either.
4. If you are really unsure of what you want to do, go somewhere you think you can be happy for the next four years.
I suggest going to a college where you can explore a lot of majors and minors so that you aren’t limited to a small number of programs. Don’t go somewhere where they don’t give the opportunities to experience everything that other colleges have to offer.
5. People will tell you that you have time to choose a major, but it certainty doesn't feel like it!
I always felt like there is this constant pressure to just choose something, and its felt almost everyday. When people ask what your major is and you say undecided, it is always met with "Oh..." or "Really?" and that just makes you feel great. Or when you're choosing classes, and you don't know what to take, its fun being undecided then too(said sarcastically). BUT! It's okay to own up to being undecided because you know whats is best for you.
6. Do as much research as you can, BEFORE you decide where to go.
Talk to as many students as you can that go to the schools you’re looking at. Talk to them about programs you are considering, talk to them about the city/town the college is in, talk to them about the overall atmosphere of the college, talk to them about school spirit, talk to them about the social life, talk to them about every single thing you can think of so you can really get a feel for what students think about the college as a whole.
7. Remember, money isn’t everything.
If you love the college that you choose and it’s a little more expensive than another, it’s okay to choose it. I’m not saying go hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars into debt, but money isn’t everything.
8. If you have a general idea of what you want to do or maybe have a couple ideas on what you want to do, pick a college that has many options for you.
You don’t want to get to get to college and be limited on choices because trust me, the transfer process can be a pain in the butt.
9. However, transferring colleges once you know what you want is not a bad thing, you may be happier somewhere else.
The world is your oyster, so take every opportunity it gives you!
