As a high school student, from the time I began even considering college I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to attend Bowling Green State University and major in Journalism. BGSU was the only school I applied to and I never even considered another career path. After going to school for the first half of the first semester, I have come to realize that Journalism just isn't my thing. This is to help anyone else out there that might be going through the same thing.
It's most important to know that it's okay to realize that you don't know exactly what you want to do. This applies to all high school students or college freshmen. It is estimated that an average of 20-50 percent of students come into college undecided every year. That being said, you are definitely not alone if you're not totally sure what you want to do with your future. If you are reconsidering your major, that is also totally normally. Nearly 75 percent of students change their major at least once before graduation.
Before going into college and declaring your major it is a good idea to at least consider all of your options. I never considered any option other than Journalism, and now I am suddenly finding all of these really great programs and majors that I could join that I had never even considered before. I know that a lot of older adults never really ask you if you're sure. For example, my family constantly asked me at every family gathering, birthday party, and holiday if I knew what I wanted to do with my life yet. When I always had an answer, they always gave me a lot of support and told me, "Oh, Marissa, that's great! I hear they have a really good Journalism program." No one ever asked me if I was considering anything else or if that was what I really wanted to do because as young adults we are expected to make a decision and not doubt it after we have chosen.
Being undecided and switching majors also seem to just have a bad rep overall which I think is extremely absurd. You should be able to go to college and explore your options if that is what you want to do before deciding the rest of your life, and I think it would help for more people to be supportive of those who just aren't quite sure yet. If someone takes classes for a certain major and realizes that they don't at all like it then they should not be given a bad rep for being "indecisive" or "not responsible" just because they changed their minds. College should be about helping to find the right career path for you, not deciding as fast as you can and end up hating what you chose because your uncle pressured you to make a decision on the spot back when you were a junior in high school and you wouldn't want to disappoint anyone by saying that you changed your mind.
So, to the undecided freshman or the student who has decided that they hate their major, you are not alone. There is no shame in not knowing. Make sure that you make the most out of exploring all of your options. Today, I lay to rest my status as a Journalism major and instead openly share that after only 8 weeks in college I have decided to change my major to Adolescent to Young Adult Education and that it's totally okay.
