Majorly Undecided

According to my college applications, I am a biology major. According to my freshman-year self, I am a writing and international studies double major. Right now, I would say that I'm in dire need of some decision-making.

Although some may say this makes me fickle, I like to think positive and say that I just have a wide assortment of interests. I didn't stress too much during my first year--part of me assumed that I would have more than enough time to figure things out. After all, four years seemed like a long stretch of time separating me from the end of college and the beginning of a career. But all of a sudden, my freshman year was over and I only had three left. The people around me were getting internships and research positions and job offers that they were truly excited about while I was struggling to choose my classes for the next semester. Although this was enough to push me into full-on panic mode, I tried to stay calm while I looked at my options: stick with my major, change it, try to double major, minor, or have a breakdown and cry in my dorm.

The summer was one of internal reflection and answer-seeking (as well as procrastination and responsibility-avoiding.) I spent a good amount of time really thinking about what I wanted to devote the rest of my life to and how I wanted my studies to reflect that. Although I would like to say that I came back to school with a newly discovered purpose in life and a course schedule to match that, I entered my sophomore year the same way I had entered my freshman year--unsure of how to make life decisions.

Although I do have an official major--two, actually--I'm not sure what I want to do with them after college. I'm not naive enough to say that I will definitely graduate and have a degree in both of these majors--I know myself too well. However, I have started to see that this is not the worst thing in the world. My exploration in different areas throughout college has made me more sure about my likes, dislikes, strengths, and weaknesses.

So for now, I am stubbornly refusing to panic. Maybe I am naive by saying that devoting myself to studying what I am interested in will lead to a fulfilling career in the future, but if I am, I'll just worry about that later.