Is it really OK to be undecided going into college? Many people will ask you before going to college “What are you going to do for the rest of your life?” Unless you’ve had an idea since you were a child, you have no idea. Some people say that they have it all figured out and it makes you nervous, but should it? I don’t think it should.
When I first started applying to colleges it was kind of hard because applications would ask you to declare a major and I almost felt guilty for checking the undecided box. As someone that’s going to college, you feel like you have to know the day you walk onto campus but that’s simply not true. I’ll tell you that no matter what you read or what anyone tells you, it’s OK to enter college not having a clue what you want to do.
I entered my freshman year not having a clue what I wanted to do, even approaching the second semester I still don't know what I want to do. It can be a scary choice because you don’t want to get it wrong the first time and have to worry about wasting time on a major that you’re going to hate. Another fear I think a lot of people have is that they’re wasting money on their degree because college is so expensive that they don’t want to spend money on something they hate. When you consider that a college degree is the equivalent to what a high school degree was a few decades ago, that expensive piece of paper gets even more important.
It sounds bad to be undecided, but it’s not the end of the world if you are. It’s great for people that know what they want to do and that they love what they’re studying but you have so much time to figure out what the heck you want to do with your life. Just take the first one to two years to take your general education classes and take a few intro classes here and there , you get to try some stuff out to see if you like it. If you don’t well then that’s OK because it’s only an intro class and not your major. And if you find out that college isn’t for you, that’s fine too. There are plenty of job opportunities that don’t need college that are just as fun and on the bright side you wouldn’t have to pay back student loans.
My advice, at least, is if you chose not to do college then take some other class or get certified in something or find something you really love. Don’t worry about the amount of money that you’ll be making. While, yes, it’s important but it’s not more important than your happiness in life. Ask yourself if you’re alright with waking up everyday to go to your job and if it truly does bring you joy because in the end that’s all that matters.
Rachel Laher is an undecided freshman studying at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk to Rachel? Email her rl218617@ohio.edu.
