I’m in college to get a degree, I just don’t know for what
I really thought the icebreakers would be over once I got to college, but the seemingly collective favorite question to ‘get to know’ your new classmates is almost always, “So what’s your major?” Now for most people, this is usually a good judge of what a person might be like, how focused on school they are, what kind of classes they’re taking, or an assortment of other stereotypical characteristics. But I am someone who has basically no idea what I’m going to major in so saying I’m undecided makes me feel like I’m not contributing to the conversation. The follow up is usually, “Oh, so what majors are you thinking about?” My answer will vary, depending on who I’m with. Because, truthfully, I have no idea what my major will be and I don’t understand why people think I have decided on something when I just said I was undecided.
Throughout high school teachers and other adults in my life encouraged me to choose a major in a subject I liked, was good at, or somehow otherwise passionate about. The thing is, though, is that I don’t love biology or feel passionate that everyone should learn political science. For a lot of majors, I had no idea what they even were. How could I choose just one? What could I do with a bachelor’s degree in Biology? What about communications? There were too many options and too little time. I feel like I could see myself in so many different career fields, I can’t possibly pick one, what if it’s the wrong one? This makes choosing classes for the next semester even harder- I don’t have degree requirements, since I don’t have a declared degree, so I could either be taking classes that will be useful for a future major, or a waste of time. Needless to say, I have a lot of options.
I remember hearing once that undecided majors ultimately change majors less than students who enter college with a declared major. I really hope this is true. It feels like my time is already running out and I’m just finishing my first semester. I’ve also been told that I shouldn’t be in college if I’m so lost. This was a slightly rude, but valid point. Why am I paying tuition for a degree that I might not end up needing? Despite whatever truth you can find in that statement, I don’t really care that other people don’t see the point of me being in college. For one, they’re not paying for it. Also for me, college is more than just a degree, it’s figuring out where you belong, who you are and feeling some sense of independence for the first time. And most careers I could see myself having require at least an undergraduate degree.
Ideally, in a year or two I will be able to write a follow-up on this article, once I do choose a major. I would love to be able to say that being undecided pushed me to explore new things, learn about careers I’d never heard of, or led me to a passion that I had never thought of pursuing. I write this with some sarcasm because the feeling of being undecided and being in college, but not really knowing why I’m here, is quite overwhelming. I’m writing this in hopes that I can look back on this, knowing it was all worth it in the end.