Going to college next year, NO clue what I'm doing

[Seele]

I'm a senior this year, and I've already been accpeted into a great university, but I have NO clue what I'm interested in. I know a lot of people have said the first two years are when you decide, but those people probably have SOME idea. I don't. Is this normal? And for those of you who have gone through this, how did you decide??

[bitbit]

of course it's normal. i knew what i wanted to do since fourth grade, got to my junior year of college, and realized i had no idea what i was doing anymore. i changed my major from professional writing major, to psych, to art, to psych, to PR now

[jengh]

The people who actually know what they want to do with the rest of their life--and stick with it all through college--are very hard to come by. I thought FOR SURE I wanted to be a surgeon, but this year, I discovered art history and international relations and instantly decided that's what I want to do.

 

Anyways, when you go for your orientation and sign up for classes, take some very different electives to get an idea of all of the options out there. Take my schedule for this coming semester for example--totally random classes: Middle Eastern Studies, Psych, Human Genetics, Calculus, World History.

 

Most of the electives will fall somewhere into your required courses anyways (the school I go to has a weird way of doing things so it's a bit different).

 

Really though, don't stress out about it. Talk with an advisor. It's what they're there for. If you don't think the one they initially set you up with is helping, switch! I did twice. And now, I have someone who I think really understands my needs.

 

Good luck, I'm sure everything will work out great for you.

[RayKay]

Totally normal. Heck you don't even really know YOU at 18 or whatever, so how are you going to know what you like when you have not been exposed to it?

 

Try a few different classes, talk to advisors, see what peaks your interest. And don't be too hard on yourself. It took me 7 more years AFTER I graduated university and was working for a few years to figure out what I wanted to do, and I know I am not the only one whom only figures it out later. I had many things I was interested in, but not sure what "fit" me until much later.

[hosswhispra]

I'm a senior this year, and I've already been accpeted into a great university, but I have NO clue what I'm interested in. I know a lot of people have said the first two years are when you decide, but those people probably have SOME idea. I don't. Is this normal? And for those of you who have gone through this, how did you decide??

 

Rest assured, YOU'RE NORMAL I had absolutely NO idea what I wanted to be at 17. I remember suffering from many nights of insomnia about it too. I actually did not know what I wanted to do until I was 22. I finished up undergrad with a biology degree and then one year later I went back to school. I work in the healthcare field and I love it. I chose my profession because it offered me great flexiblity, stability and mobility.

 

Don't worry, everything will come in it's own time. Be patient with yourself and also try to enjoy yourself.

[run_little_rabbit]

^

 

same with me. Nothing appealed to me as a career until recently. I'm almost 22. I've decided to go into radiology, but it literally came out of nowhere. Hang in there...

[easyguy]

Things stick like glue if you are open-minded once you are in college. Since high school I have wanted to be a musician for my career. I am practically a professional musician (going off to music school in several months) already, at 20, but I realize that if ends cannot be met through that, then I have something to fall back on. And it just so happens that I have an interest in nutritional/dietary studies, which I was introduced to this past quarter through a course at my college. Last year I took a psychology course, too, and liked it.

 

You just never know. It is perfectly normal to not know what you want to do.

 

If you are willing to try new things, you may find something really interesting that you would have never thought of before.

 

And college courses are way more interesting than high school courses.

[laboheme]

Like everyone said, that's perfectly normal. I absolutely adore my major now, but I only decided on it after my freshman year, and it's completely different from anything that I ever imagined myself doing.

 

However, it's very important to not get caught up in sampling classes from every department imaginable. Even though there are many opportunities to prolong your education and continue exploring different fields after you graduate, you don't want to find yourself in your 7th year of college with not enough credits for any one major. So make sure that you can graduate with some kind major in a reasonable of time -- but remember that your major won't be set in stone. Pay VERY close attention to university requirements as well: many schools have breadth requirements so that you're exposed to a wide variety of subjects. From the very beginning, start fulfilling those -- and sometimes they'll lead you to interesting places that you never thought of going before.

[n83]

Luckily, going into college, you don't really HAVE to decide. You can just take 101 classes to fulfill requirements or elective credits, play around and see what you like. I had no idea going into college, but turns out I love sociology... chances are, taking classes will help you rule out what you thought you liked but dont ........

 

p.s. it helps just to flip through the college's course catalogue, see what classes sound interesting to you, and go from there!

[Lady Luck]

It's never too late to change your mind, or to decide on your path in life.

 

My sister was the same as you. She had no idea what she wanted to be in life. Throughout her senior year at highschool she thought of tons of ideas- a doctor, a cop, and finally a business executive, which is what she ended up majoring in at college.

 

Here's the kicker- after she graduated from college, she decided she wanted to be an english teacher. So where is she now? Back in college. Getting her teaching degree.

 

Go figure.

 

She's always been a straight A student, too. This just goes to show that uncertainty can overcome just about anyone. You'll figure it out eventually. Don't worry too much about it. You have your whole life ahead of you.

[DaDancingPsych]

I'm graduated with my degree and working in the "real world" and still don't know what I want to be "when I grow up". I know people in their 40's and 60's who still don't know. As expressed by many, it's common!

 

Adding to the great advice, ask your advisor and check the catalogue for "sampler" courses. I recall the science department offered a course that gave students a sample of the different science fields. It was a great way to gain a very general understanding of these, as well as to get an idea of what areas may or may not sound interesting. The kicker... it most certainly counted towards graduation! (A lot of students enjoyed it, because they could use it as a science credit without getting too deep into an area that they later discovered they didn't like.)

 

Also, talk with your advisor with helping you get an appointment with the school's career counseling department. You can sit down and talk with someone and get some ideas of jobs that you may like and the best educational route to take to get there.

[cc2006]

Don't feel bad. I went to college for a semester right after highschool and then dropped out. I didn't have a clue what I wanted to do and I didn't have the right attitude to claw my way through college.

 

Now, 10 years later, I'm 27 and going back. Know what? I still have NO CLUE what I want to do. I threw out a rough major with some help of close friends and plan to try for it. If I don't like it, I'll find something else.

 

I have to accept that there isn't a PERFECT way to go to college, or plan your life, or start a career. I spent a long time struggling over what I had to do to make sure I got out in the quickest time period and with the most useful majors ... or trying to figure out what interests me before I even sampled anything ... and you just can't.

 

Relax ... and like everyone else said, pick some stuff that sounds interesting ... and remember you can always go back later if you decide 10+ years from now you want to try something else.

[Siriana]

that's normal. I am 26 and I have no idea what i want to do in life. And i have a bachelors degree.