"So, what's your major?"
It's the first question everyone asks when then meet someone new in college after asking their name. It is a way of defining someone and grouping them into different categories. English majors there, RIM majors here, Biology majors over there.
Unintentional it may be, your major does in a way define you. But, what if you are none of those? What if you're not exactly sure what you want to do for the rest of your life? You're undecided. Many believe that someone who is undecided is simply not as smart as those around them. It is kind of an unspoken assumption."What's your major?" to "I'm actually undecided." followed by "Oh."
This is the conversation I have encountered endlessly since I have begun college. After a while it can cause you to doubt yourself. Why don't I know what I want to do like everyone else seems to? What's wrong with me? These are the questions that echo through my mind daily. I know I'm not stupid. I graduated nearly at the top of my class, i have taken honors classes my entire life, and I always score high on every test I take. If I can do all of that then why can't I make this dumb decision? It's because I simply have dreams too large for me to comprehend right now.
We all know as you grow up that you grow and evolve. Your goals and aspirations change. You are not the same person you were a year ago and you won't be the same you a month from now. That's a fact of life. It happens to everyone. There is NOTHING wrong with not knowing what you want to do for the rest of your life at 18. Actually, I think it to be somewhat naive to think that you actually do know at that age. Statistics show that over 82% of college students change their major at least once within their college experience. So why do I feel so compelled to have one decided my first semester?
Although there is a lot of pressure to pick one and just go with it even though you may change your mind, you don't have to. You can wait as long as it takes. Granted, you may not want to take too terribly long, but it is better that you find something you love rather than to settle for some major you thought would sound cool to tell people you're studying.
There is nothing wrong with not knowing what to do with your life at 18 years old. This isn't the time in your life where you need to grow up super fast. You're young. Go out with friends and take random classes that seem interesting to you.
Take that Astronomy class. Love it? Great, take another one. Don't like it? That's okay too just try something else next semester.
There is no shame in trying new things. After all, how are you supposed to make an informed decision without an previous experience/knowledge about the subject? How are you supposed to know that something is your meant to be passion if you haven't experimented with other things equally as well? You can't.
Being an undecided major isn't embarrassing. It is just a major. It doesn't define you. You're not stupid or wasting your time. You're just being honest with yourself.
Your dreams are too big for you right now and that's okay because when you eventually find out what your future holds it will be even more breathtaking then you could have ever imagined.
