Practically since I learned to talk, I’ve been asked what I want to do when I grow up. That answer’s changed more times than I can count, but the question remains. Now that I’m about to face a mound of college applications, deciding what I want to do with my life is more pressing than ever.
Thankfully, colleges won’t ask me for specific career plans. They will, however, want to know what I plan on majoring in. And while most American colleges won’t force me to major in the area I choose now, British universities require students to study in the degree they apply in. That means I need a pretty clear idea of my post-graduate career plans.
Even American colleges, while luckily more flexible, still require applicants to apply to certain schools within the undergraduate program. This raises a host of terrifying questions — What if I apply to the school of foreign services and later decide I want to be an English major? Should I do an undergraduate journalism degree and forever rule out prelaw? What if I start a foreign language in college, realize it’s my passion, and then can’t transfer into the school of languages? And what’s to say I won’t develop some hidden talent for the clarinet after steering clear of any undergraduate schools of music? Transferring between undergraduate schools is easy at some colleges; at others, however, it’s impossible.
I know choosing which major to apply in is nothing compared to choosing a career. Even actually majoring in a certain area might not help or hinder my employment prospects. Still, figuring out which of the many boxes to check under “Please indicate your intended major” seems important. If nothing, it’s yet another reminder that the Real World is coming; isn’t that what the college application process is all about?
I’m lucky. I at least know the areas in which I want to study. And hey, there’s always that comforting “undecided” option.