Still Undeclared?

The world isn’t filled with people. It’s filled with students. There’s lots of different types of students. There are students who focus their growth on one thing and one thing only – be it rocket ships, writing, motherhood, or anything else. There are students who want to learn about every single thing the universe offers us, but the amount of time they’ve been given falls short. There are students who don’t want to learn anything. They just want to be. Or perhaps not be. But they’re students nonetheless.

I’m a firm believer that every student should start college undeclared. It’s so easy to start college picking a major based on your favorite high school subject, and then when you get hit with the full on concept of it, you realize it might not have been your thing at all. There’s not a single student who wouldn’t benefit from exploring. Students who know what they want to do from the start would have the opportunity to reaffirm their passion in a non-binding way. Students with a variety of interests can hone in one thing, or find outlets for all their favorites. Students who have no idea which direction to go in can either find one, or find some, or even find none.

Whether they have a major or not, every student is undeclared. Every student is faced with paths and choices and decisions to make. Every student is constantly learning about new things they’ve never heard of, stumbling across new opportunities, and opening new doors within themselves. There’s no reason any decision, especially the larger ones, should be rushed. It’s okay to not have things figured out and to go with the flow. Being undeclared taught me that there was really no other path for me than chemical engineering. It allowed me to drop my doubts about other majors. It taught me that I don’t need to know about what I want to do in three years or where I want to live in five or where I see myself in ten. (Thank god I never got that assignment in high school).

I’ll admit I was really nervous, and slightly embarrassed, about starting college undeclared. I remember when people would ask what I was studying, I’d make something up. I was too ashamed to admit that I didn’t have things together. Being undeclared taught me that it’s perfectly okay to take my time with a decision, especially big ones. It’s okay to go things cautiously and pragmatically. If I don’t have an answer right away, I can always trust in the fact that I will someday. Being undeclared taught me that, and that philosophy has come up again and again.

A year and a half ago, I didn’t know what I wanted to major in. Four months ago, I didn’t know what kind of company or industry I wanted to co-op in. Today, I don’t know how or where I’m going to spend my summer break. Three years from now, when I graduate, I doubt I’ll know what the future holds for me. And that’s okay. It’s better to test out the waters before diving into some expensive mistakes.

By: Priya Amin