When I applied to college I thought I knew what I wanted to do with my life. I anticipated majoring in Biology, along with an abundance of my class, and pursuing a career in a research field. I began following that track, taking first-year seminars on research opportunities and fulfilling requirements for upper-level STEM courses, but I also added classes to my schedule for the sole reason that they sounded interesting or engaging. Within just one and a half semesters of college, I had already been exposed to classes from a number of different fields. I had learned about the ties between religion and politics, and about racial inequality in the St. Louis area. I learned about the brain and the body, but also the inner-workings of our democracy.
I quickly realized the mistake I had made when I first arrived at college. I had always been a directed person, and the monotony of high school made it easy to follow a specific path. Intimidated by the pressure of deciding on a major and a career, I turned to what I was comfortable with, rather than finding something I was inspired by. At the beginning of the spring semester, I found myself discouraged by my classes and the material I was learning. I realized the path I thought I would follow was no longer something that made me curious and excited, but rather something I found boring and difficult to focus on. I was no longer certain as to what I wanted to do with my life. Bewildered and agitated, I turned to my peers for advice.
In just a week following my revelation, I received an abundance of advice from people I never anticipated talking to. In a number of my classes, the most inspiring speakers shared their own journeys, and I soon realized that even the most successful people lacked direction too, even well into their post-grad lives. I was told to work when I got out of college before attending some type of graduate school. I was told to choose my classes based on what sounded interesting, rather than what I thought I needed to take. I was told I was too young to be putting so much pressure on myself — that college was a time to explore my passions and interests until I found something I could see myself doing for the rest of my life.
College has already been an amazing journey, and it has taught me a lot about myself in just the short time I’ve been here. The biggest lesson I’ve learned, however, is not something I was taught in any of my classes. I learned to stay true to myself and to follow what inspires me. To do what I love and what makes me want to learn. College is a place to grow and explore, and even if you’re not yet sure what you want to do or who you want to be, the path to self-discovery is one worth taking.