Now I know many of you are looking at the title of this article and thinking “isn’t that the whole point of college?” Well, you’re right, it is. However, this chapter in your life is worth much more than pulling those all-nighters and sitting through countless 8 a.m. lectures. Although these are important for getting a degree and making your parents happy, where you go to school defines who you’ll become and where you end up after you throw your cap at graduation.

Looking back to confused high school me, I consider myself lucky to not have known exactly what I wanted to do with my life. At the time, I felt so behind my siblings and fellow classmates, even somewhat jealous knowing they had it all figured out at such an early age. Sure, I knew my interests and the subjects I was better at in school, but I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do.

It may have taken me until my second semester in college, but now I realize that it’s OK not to have everything planned even when making one of the biggest decisions you’ll have at 18-years-old.

What’s important to see when making your college decision isn’t the school itself, but being able to picture yourself there. Now I am not saying if you’ve known you wanted to be a nurse since you’ve come out of the womb that you should choose a school without a respectable nursing program. However, more than likely you’ll change your major at least once (or 4 times like me) during your time at school.

The best thing about going to a large public university is having the options to change your mind even if you don’t. We’ve all felt stuck at some point in our lives and know it’s not a good feeling. Committing all your time and money to a school specifically for a major can put major pressure on you to stick with it even if you aren’t enjoying what you’re doing.

I hear about so many kids transferring after their first year due to a negative freshman experience when it could have been avoided by going to the university of their dreams, not the highest ranked business program in the nation.

Go where it makes you the happiest and all the details will fall in to place. After all, how can we expect kids to choose their dream major/job without even ever taking a college course?

From my own experience attending the University of Alabama, I can assure you I made the best decision even without knowing my major at the time. Coming from out-of-state and becoming independent for the first time has taught me more in the past few months than any class has in the past 18 years. Surrounding yourself with new people and places can and will truly change who you once were, believe me.

This article is for all the high school seniors out there having a tough time with their college decision. Now take a deep breath and choose that school you’ve always wanted to attend. You’re welcome.