The Path Ahead: Seniors shouldn’t be expected to be committed to a college during the fall due to pending financial aid and potential changing of opinion

Sitting down at the dining room table, I faced my three friends with a pen, paper and Pinterest board.

We were meeting to lay out some initial plans for our graduation party: the date, time, food and other fun details we’ve been waiting four years to plan. When decorations were brought up, we began talking about balloon arches.

“We can do a balloon arch with the colors of our colleges! Purple for me, green for you, red for you and … TBD for Ada Lillie.”

My eyes dropped down to my lap. I know my friends had zero intention of bringing up a sensitive subject, but it only reminded me of the societal expectation that, as a senior, I should already know where I want to go. And study. 

Spoiler alert: I don’t. But that’s okay.

Seniors don’t have to commit to a college in the fall or even know what they want to study. There’s still six months left before May 1 — decision day — to consider cost, majors and the location of a school students will spend four years and thousands of dollars on.

For too long I’ve let the replies of “Oh…” or “… That’s okay”  to my indecision make me feel like I’m on the wrong path. Comments like these discourage undecided students and make them feel behind — even when they’re not.

Some of my out-of-state applications aren’t even due yet. I’m still putting finishing touches on my short answer question for the University of Colorado Boulder and sending my ACT scores to admission offices. After I submit these, I’ll have to wait until at least the end of January for the colleges to respond with my acceptance or rejection. 

And don’t even get me started on the FAFSA. Scholarships and tuition are a huge part of deciding where students want to go, including me. At this point, it’s completely normal to receive college acceptances but still be undecided due to pending financial aid. The cost of tuition is a major factor that will impact a student for the rest of their lives. Comparing aid offers can’t be rushed.

Even if you know where you want to attend college, students don’t need to know what major they want to pursue. Fluctuating from year-to-year, approximately 20 to 50% of students enter college undecided each year, according to North Central College research. 

Don’t get me wrong, I find it humiliating to answer the question of the day in class with, “I’m undecided” immediately after one of my peers just laid out their entire blueprint to becoming a doctor. But I don’t want to find myself performing open-heart surgery in an operating room 20 years from now just to realize I rushed into the wrong career.

North Central College says that 75% of students change their major at least once before they graduate. Chances are, your peer who’s 100% set on being a marketing major will change their mind halfway through sophomore year. Personally, I’d rather do the hard thinking now rather than in college.

For some reason, it’s become commonplace to expect kids to have everything figured out before they go to college, at the risk of never becoming successful. This mindset couldn’t be further from the truth. 

College is a place of self and occupational discovery. You’re supposed to find your major as you settle into college, not before. This is why so many people change their major — it’s not what they expected it to be. 

What you study in college may not even be what you end up doing for a career. Actor Samuel L. Jackson originally wanted to study marine biology, until he changed his course to eventually star in the Star Wars and Marvel franchises along with other successful films, according to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Journalism majors can end up being software engineers, and visual art majors can end up being lawyers. 

You don’t have to know what you want to do for the rest of your life at this very moment. You’ve only been on the Earth for around 17 years — you’ve got a lot of time left to figure it out.