College is a huge milestone on the way to adulthood. It is the place and time in which we figure out what we want to do for the rest of our lives and who we want to be as individual people. This makes college both an exciting and scary experience.
My senior year I worked hard to be able to start at Murray State University as a sophomore instead of a freshman. It was stressful, but I made it through. I was so proud of myself when I discovered I was successful at my venture and had enough college credits transfer over for me to start as a sophomore.
Despite the excitement of finally making it to the college life and starting my own journey, I remember being so anxious the day I moved in. Hugging my parents goodbye and watching them drive off was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I knew that I would see them again probably not even two weeks later, but the hugs and tears shared between us in the moments before they left held a sense of ending that I wasn’t sure I wanted to feel just yet. I was an adult now. I couldn’t be completely dependent on my parents anymore.
A part of me was scared and just wanted to hop in the car with them and go back home. But the other part of me knew college was the place for me. I had felt it as soon as I arrived at Murray State’s campus for a college tour in the fall of my senior year. Murray was only the second college campus I had toured, but it just felt right. College in general felt right to me. Never once in my life had the thought crossed my mind of not going to college. It was always the next step for me after high school.
As to be expected, college is hard. Better time management is something I have definitely had to learn. College is equally as great, though. In my first semester alone, I met some wonderful people and made some amazing new friends. I have learned so many things about myself already.
Image via Ben Duchac
But even with this feeling of belonging at Murray State, I still questioned if I was where I was supposed to be in terms of my major and minor. College has opened so many doors for me and introduced me to so many new things that high school never did. I’ve lie awake at night questioning changing my major and minor. I’ve even considered double-majoring AND double-minoring.
Currently, I am a journalism major with a photography minor. I chose this major because I love writing. I love writing articles such as this one, and I love writing articles for the college newspaper. I chose this minor because I love photography and want to get better at it. I have a passion for these things. With all these new doors opened up to me, though, I’m wondering if there are other things I might have more of a passion for.
I feel like everyone has these fears when they start college. Some people change their major and/or minor several times before they finally decide what they want to do. For me, starting college as a sophomore heightened these fears. It made me feel like I had less time to decide. It made me feel like my college life was already going by in the blink of an eye.
It has taught me, though, that it’s okay to not have everything figured out right now. College isn’t going anywhere, and we have our whole lives to live. Money is always the biggest issue when it comes to college. It has always been my main concern, but I have full faith that things will always work out how they are supposed to.
Image via Hello I’m Nik
So if you are questioning switching your major and/or minor, look into it and talk to your advisor. Never be afraid to ask for help. Just because you are legally an adult doesn’t mean you have to do everything on your own.
Never be afraid to get out and join different organizations and clubs. Try something new. You never know what you might discover. Life is meant to be enjoyed, so enjoy it.
Never be afraid to do what YOU want to do. You might not be great at it at first, but never give up. College has taught me that it is okay to not be good at something right away and to never measure my success with someone else’s. We are all in college to learn and grow. You are not going to know everything because if you did there would be no point in college.
Never be afraid to find your passion.