Decisions. We make decisions every single day.
What should you have for breakfast? Vanilla or chocolate? Romantic comedy or horror film? To play soccer or basketball? To go to college or to enlist into the army? To join the work force right after graduation or to travel? Decisions come every day, and we have to choose.
On the verge of becoming an “adult,” taking SAT’s, going on college tours, at just the ages of 17 and 18, high school juniors and seniors are making decisions on what they are going to do for the rest of their lives. For those staring at the fork in the road of life, deciding to go to college or not, it can be a lot of pressure. It truly works up a lot of stress for students in their late teens. Seemingly old enough to make the right decisions, yet young enough to make the wrong ones as well.
From experience, I know that the students who decide to go to college have a large amount of decisions to make. What school to go to? Can they afford the school they want? What major to decide, if you even have one in mind. To live on campus or to commute? To pick a roommate or go random? Then the decisions are made, the stress subsides, or sometimes, it doesn't.
Gayle B. Ronan, a msnbc.com contributor, wrote that, “Eighty percent of college-bound students have yet to choose a major, according to Dr. Fritz Grupe, founder of MyMajors.com,” on nbc.com. Interestingly enough, students are able to apply, pick, and choose a college that is suitable to them, but enter without any idea of what they want to do. It is also known that the 50 percent that actually declare a major, later on change majors, once, twice, and possibly a third time through out their college days.
When I was a high school junior, our school's guidance counselors came into our classrooms to discuss the college application process, scholarships, and finical aid. After that, we made one-on-one appointments to discuss what we were interested in majoring in, what schools intrigued us, and why. One thing I remember our counselors telling everyone was that deciding on a major is not required, which tended to ease a lot of students stress on picking what we were going to do for the rest of our lives. My start to college was everything but a walk in the park. In late August of 2013, I went off, excited and prepared (or so I thought) to a small liberal arts school in New Hampshire. I studied nursing, and found that I hated every waking moment of it.
Over time, I realized that maybe nursing wasn’t for me, maybe this school wasn't for me, and maybe these people were just not for me. After just one semester, which felt like an eternity, I packed my belongings, and came home. I decided to get a job and attend a local community college for the time being. While home, I realized that I should give nursing another shot, and I didn't feel like I was exposed to the classes enough to make my full decision. I applied to another school, closer to home, received my acceptance letter, and was excited to start over fresh. And when I say “start over fresh,” I mean it.
As a transfer student planning to enter the nursing program, I applied late, and was not accepted right into the program. Instead, I was accepted into the “pre-nursing” program, which at the time, felt right. I sadly had to re-start as a freshman because nursing has many prerequisites (A prerequisite is a required prior condition. If something is required in advance of something else, like if you have to take a beginning Spanish class before signing up for Spanish II, then it's a prerequisite. Found on Dictionary.com) that you just cannot skip over, or have enough time to play catch up if you do not re-start. This means that I am competing with 80 other “pre-nursing” majors for only 15-20 spots in the nursing program. Chances are known to be slim, but I still am working my butt off. Weighing my chances, I sent in an application to a state school for education because if not nursing, I want to be a elementary school teacher (I am a huge planner, and for me, I feel that having a backup is good).
This semester, I also decided to explore new majors, just in case the nursing thing didn't work out. I looked into business management and education for the current private school I am attending. I made an appointment with my advisor and recently met with her. I came to find that no matter what major I chose to change to, that I would have to re-start because the prerequisites are so crucial. Frustrated because there is no way I am going to become a 3 time freshman, I asked a crucial question for every student making the decision of their major: “So if I was a ‘normal freshman' and came in as an undecided major and decided at this time (almost half way through the second semester) that I wanted to be a nursing, business, or education major, etc. does that mean I would have to start over again as a freshman?”
The answer was ridiculous. It was, “Yes,” and I couldn’t believe it. As a high school student, guidance counselors, tour guides, and the faculty at colleges I went to see, promoted coming in as an “Undecided” major because, “well most of our freshmen do and can choose after their sophomore year what they want to study in.”
So now when you hear about all the college grads who leave with a diploma in hand, nothing in their bank account, and multiple loans to pay back, it tends to make sense. They are hauling out generous amounts of money for a degree that sometimes is taking longer than planned because of what major they first chose or didn't choose. I feel that it is important that you pick a major before entering college, or at least pick as soon as possible. Going undecided can be risky, and although people change their minds multiple times (I am guilty of that), it is sometimes beneficial to have a decided major entering college to somehow get a good start.
The tuition fees of colleges these days are on the rise and there seems to be no plan in stopping the intense gross. From collegeboard.org, here is link of a chart of the average college prices, from two year institutes, to in state, living in state, living out of state, to private colleges, Check it out! (AND if you press on it, you'll have to hit the back button to get back to my blog.. I think..)
My private college is a record high of 50+ grand a year, on the rise and because I started over as a freshman again, coming from another, private school (not to mention out of state) you could say that a lot of money is just going down the drain. It is sad enough to watch a college student struggle to figure out their life, not to mention struggle to pay for an education that is suppose to help them figure it out. And now a days, it just gets pricier. The average tuition for a public university is $13,833 a year (Ronan, Gayle). We need to consider the students who are changing their majors, transferring, restarting and losing credits in the process. The rate of students attending an undergraduate college for more than four years is escalating. Known by the College Board, five and even six year students are rare, but slowly becoming more normal. Forty percent of students who start at a four year college still have not earned a degree after six years based on their transfers, change in majors, and what credits are accepted and not. And don’t let the price of private colleges steer you to think that the students there get in and out in four years, because there are “long-timers” there as well, paying 50 grand a year. One downfall, is that the longer the students take to graduate, the slimmer the chance the new freshmen students applying have to get in because there are less spaces.
Now, juniors and seniors in high school not only have to stress about their major and which school to choose, but they have to worry about if it is the right fit for them, and be nervous about if they might end up switching their major and have to start over. We already haul enough money out for a four year degree, the thought of doing the same for an extra two years (and not for your masters degree) is just hard to swallow.
I feel that we need to prepare the students in high school to try and narrow down a major. Expose them to more than just one thing. Let them job shadow more than once (I got to job shadow just once my sophomore year) and expose them to multiple jobs when possible. It could save them time and money.
And for those of your who went to school knowing what you wanted to do, or went in undecided and graduated in four years, that's great, but I am saying that five/six year students do happen, because of "major" decisions.
Decisions, decisions. We make them every day.
Now, I am at a state school, paying a lump sum, but much less than I was at a private school and majoring in education, which is what I wanted to do since high school.
Remember to enjoy the experiences and paths you've taken. For me, I am on the road of a five year degree. Frustrating, yes, but I do not regret leaving my first college. Everyone hits bumps, little or small, while on their journey of life, you learn from them. Everything happens for a reason. Take time to love those big and little reasons
