At the end of senior year, I thought I knew exactly what I wanted to do once I got to college. When people would ask about my intended major and future plans, I would confidently tell them that I was going to study neuroscience and ultimately apply to medical school. I had big dreams of becoming a doctor and providing care to areas where it's needed the most. As a planner who had her four years mapped out before even stepping foot on campus, I was so certain of the future.

Despite holding a passion for writing since I was a kid, I still chose to believe that science was my calling. When people would question my decision, I could quickly justify myself by telling them I held As in all of my science classes, and more importantly, science was interesting to me. Writing never struck me as a skill I could create into a career, so I always assumed it would remain a hobby I could turn to in my free time.

Now that I've almost completed my first semester of college, it's become clear that the medical field is not for me. I've spent hundreds of hours studying organic chemistry, learning about how the mind works, and researching with mice; while I thought these things would excite me, I've found my interest dwindling away. As I continued to stress and worry about upcoming exams and projects that covered topics I didn't enjoy, I also found myself stuck in a cycle of work that didn't allow any time for me to pursue writing. Even though I thought I could merge my passion for writing into a hobby, I quickly discovered that meant sacrificing it all together in order to pour myself into subjects I don't even like. The future went from exciting to daunting, and in my heart, I knew something was off.

After spending many days wrestling with the idea of changing the entire course of my college plans, I finally decided to give up science and pursue something that actually means something to me. And I can truthfully say that decision has been the best one I've made. The moment I opened up to others about my change of plans, I felt like a large burden had been lifted off my shoulders and I finally felt excited about the future again.

As someone who likes to know each step ahead of me, I thought drastically changing the course of my life would leave me stressed out and scrambling to draw out a new plan, but as it turns out, I am the happiest I've ever been and don't have any worries about the future. Knowing that my efforts are now channeling towards something I am passionate about makes me excited for what's ahead rather than afraid.

And as much as I'd like to take all the credit for the happiness I'm experiencing, the support from my friends and family has helped me through this transition. Between my parents offering career guidance and my friends cheering me on as I pick up the pen again and gear my studies towards writing, I've been truly blessed with the best support system that makes such an uncertain time less scary.

While a part of me is still a little disappointed that I won't be traveling abroad to provide care to communities around the world who need it most, I am still so supportive of this cause and hope that other pre-medical students find this as their calling. I've heard countless stories of college students making drastic changes to their goals and aspirations, but finding myself in the middle of my own story feels like a big adventure. Not knowing what lies ahead can be intimidating, but the prospect of following my passions is exciting and helps me stay optimistic about the future. Just the fact that my heart feels like it's in a better place is enough evidence for me to know that I've made the right choice and will be better off in the long run. As I continue on from this stage of life, I feel confident that I'll look back on this decision and be grateful that I took a leap of faith to live my life doing something I love.