Why It’s Okay to be Undecided in Your Minor

I’ve known pretty much my entire life what I wanted my major to be in college. English has been my favorite subject since kindergarten, and while I didn’t know until recently that I wanted to work in the publishing industry post-college (I used to want to be an English teacher because I didn’t know about any other options), I’ve always known that English was it for me.

The English major at Boston University takes 11 courses to fulfill. Out of the 32 classes I’ll take over my eight semesters here, that leaves plenty of space for me to add a minor, even with general education and second language requirements.

Here’s where I entered the gray area of “undecided.” I took a history class my first semester for hub requirements; it wasn’t something I could see myself taking more of. I thought for a moment that I might want to minor in communications, or maybe even double major. So I took communications 101, only to discover that wasn’t for me either.

Then I thought of sociology. My mom was a double English and sociology major in college, and I’m similar to her in so many other ways. Finally, I thought, this was going to be the right minor for me.

So, I took sociology 100. I actually really enjoyed the course, but I hadn’t looked at the course description for the next class in the minor. When I realized it was a research-based class, I decided that this was not the minor for me either. Research just isn’t something I’m passionate about. So, I dropped that class, and was suddenly a class short for the second semester of my sophomore year.

The thing is, I don’t technically need to minor in anything. I realized I’d picked sociology because I thought it’s what I should be doing, rather than what I actually wanted to do. I don’t need to supplement my English major with a minor in order to succeed post-college.

So, instead, I started thinking about minors that I could choose just for fun. I have the time for one, so why not, right?

I stumbled into a Jewish studies class to complete my course load for the current semester, and it’s the closest I’ve ever felt to being in the right minor. I haven’t declared it yet, but I have plenty of time to do that. I don’t need to rush the decision.

Even though I’ve always known my major, I somehow have still had the classic college “undecided” experience. Not knowing what I want, or not choosing the “best” option, isn’t something that I’m used to. However, I’ve learned it’s okay not to know. College is about finding your own path, wherever that path may take you – communications, sociology, Jewish studies, or even somewhere else. 

The possibilities are endless.

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