To The Incoming Freshman Who Isn’t Sure What Their Future Holds, Relax And Enjoy The Ride

It was about this time last year when I was driving myself crazy because I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. I was about to start my first year of college and I hadn't declared a major yet. There was so much to choose from, so much that I didn't know, and I was overwhelmed by all the options that were available to me. The world seemed way too big for me at the time and the pressure was piling up.

It wasn't until recently that I realized it is perfectly fine to have a little mystery in your future—that it is OK to not know exactly what you want to do yet. Though I am grateful to have finally found this peace of mind, this is a lesson that I wish I had learned earlier.

I felt so much pressure to know every twist and turn that was down the road that I ended up driving myself onto a path that I did not want to follow. I found myself stuck in a major that did not interest me, classes that I didn't want to go to, and an attitude that always brought me down.

There is so much pressure on young adults to have a great life planned out by the time they graduate high school, that all the fun of exploration gets sucked out of the whole thing. College is the time to explore and get to know yourself and figure things out, but how are you supposed to do that if you already shoved yourself into a predetermined path that might not even be what you want it to be?

I get it. It's like having a safety net to fall into. Having a plan makes you feel grounded and secure. While this is all good and true, what I found is that if you force yourself down a path that is not truly for you, that security only lasts for so long.

I tried so hard throughout my first semester to convince myself that I could live a happy and successful life in the major that I had declared in my anxious confusion. I went to class every day and really gave it a fair chance, but at the end of the day, it just was not for me.

I have noticed so much change in myself—growth, confidence, and change of interests. My path has changed so many times in a matter of a few short months. Even after finishing my first year of college, it still isn't completely clear to me and, you know what? That is completely fine with me.

I hope that, before you go to college, you learn to embrace the unknown. Go into your first year with wide eyes and an open heart, never lose the joy of curiosity and take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way. Personally, I have learned so much about myself in the moments that I never saw coming.

There is a whole world of mystery waiting to be discovered. So, go discover it.