Explore While You Can

Everyone always says “college is the time to explore what you want to do” but how can we explore our passions and interests if we are stuck on one restrictive track? Most universities, specifically, liberal arts schools have a very restrictive core curriculum. Now, for some this might be great if you are interested in a career in philosophy or religious studies but for most students the core is dreaded. I know that I personally felt very lost and confused going into college as I was entering as a Chemistry major. Did I know that I 100% wanted to be a chemist and devote my life to STEM? No! I chose it because I enjoyed Chemistry but what I didn’t realize was that I wasn’t going to be able to explore many other subjects that I may also be interested in. If I could go back and change one thing about entering college is that I would go in as Undecided. 

Many people unfortunately look down upon students who are undecided but those students are so much better off. They have the opportunity to explore various subjects and majors that a student who was say a Chemistry major could not explore. With the Chemistry major track I was so restricted to solely science classes that I wouldn’t have much opportunity to take a media class or film class. 

Of course, if you have your whole entire heart set on what you want to be when you grow up then that is so awesome and you should pursue that major. On the other hand, if you are unsure what you want to do after college then undecided is the way to go. I wanted to be able to take classes that interested me or maybe even pick up a minor. I am minoring in Italian now because of the fact that I switched from Chemistry to Undecided. I explored different classes and found that I do love taking classes in Italian so I minored in it! 

There should be no shame about going into college undecided. You are going to be working in your field for the rest of your life. So why not try out different ones and see what you love to do? My mom always tells me “do what makes you happy.” When you are given the opportunity to explore different career options, jump on it! 

Always do what makes you happy! 

Love always, 

K