If I could name one thing that I was most excited for coming into college right off the bat, it would be that I get to study whatever I want. I mean, if you truly think about it, the options are literally endless. There's so much room to really grow as a person and in a career field. And your career is definitely important. It will give you the means to support your future family. It will give you a sense of purpose and achievement. But what does it mean, how does it truly affect your life, without the sense of passion that comes with it?

Some have it all planned out. "I'm gonna go to med school for three years then immediately begin residency." Some are idealistic. "Being a social worker will be incredibly rewarding." Some are just there because of society's expectations, or maybe a teacher, or one's parents. "My dad wants me to apply to business school." And there's nothing wrong with these statements, but you want to find just the perfect amount of realism and idealistic passion.

And if you think about it, almost anything can become a reality for you with hard work.

In my last semester of senior year of high school, I decided I wanted to be a biology major. I was kind of unsure of what to do with it, whether to go pre-med like most people or teach or do research. And I still am. But despite being unsure of exactly what path I want to take, I do know one thing: I am utterly in love with and passionate about biology.

It's the body, the brain, the human systems that compose living beings and play a role in every move we make. It's the complexity of cell design. It's the mechanism and process behind what makes us who we are.

I've been interested in the subject ever since freshman year of high school and decided even then that I had a passion for it. I had planned on taking Advanced Placement Biology ever since then, and then kept up with my idea in senior year and took the class.

Never has a class been so instrumental for me in determining what I want to do. I loved my teacher, my class was invested in the work, I found it fascinating. The workload was not something to take lightly, but I realized by then that I respond to challenge pretty well. I realized that if it's not challenging, it's not worth it.

Good things come with hard work. No one said it was easy. But for me, the effort is worth the benefit. Some people are content with floating through life and putting in minimal effort to reap benefits that may not be everlasting. And that's fine if that's their thing. They may have other priorities. But for me, there is no greater feeling than putting your heart and soul into something that you're proud of, something that one day will make you look back on your life and realize that your hard work put you where you needed to be.

There is nothing more soul-lifting than getting to spend your life doing what you love. It could be teaching, it could be music, it could be philosophy or law or pharmacy. Everyone has different interests, and that's the beauty of this world.

So if I could give a single piece of advice, it would be that if you're not absolutely in love with your major or career pathway, find what that is and pursue it. Pursue it to your heart's content and don't apologize. Because when passion comes first, everything else will fall into place. And although not everything will be perfectly ideal at all moments, you can bet it will be worth it.