My Freshman Year of College.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11. 

Exactly what I needed to hear.  I feel as though this quote speaks for every single person my age. At eighteen and nineteen years old, we have absolutely no idea what we want to do in our lives…especially during our freshman year of college.

College is the time to discover what we like and don’t like. We discover who we are. I’ve learned this the hard way. I came into college as a Graphic Design major not knowing what I was getting myself into. I had the hardest first semester of college ever. I convinced myself that Graphic Design was right for me and I kept on trying my hardest. By midterm I realized there was no way I could raise my grades because they were so poor. I talked to my professors and told them that I was thinking about changing my major because I know for a fact GD wasn’t right for me. There were countless phone calls to my parents of me in tears because I knew I made a huge mistake putting myself into that program. They told me to stick it out and finish the semester no matter what the results would be. So I did. Although my final grades weren’t what I hoped for, I stuck it out and completed my first semester of college. Yes I was disappointed and angry, but I was proud of myself because I didn’t quit…I kept on working hard.

After Christmas break, I made the decision to change my major to Undeclared so I could focus on my general education courses and really discover what I would be interested in. It’s frustrating not knowing what you want to do… but it is also OKAY. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in college is that it is completely okay not to know what you want to do for the rest of your life at 18 or 19 years old. After talking to my aunt, my parents, and a few close friends, I finally accepted that it’s alright to focus on myself for awhile… and I did!  I worked hard in study hall, developed a close relationship with my tutors, and really forced myself to raise my GPA. That being said, at midterm my GPA raised 10 points.

I’ve had the idea of Communications as a major in the back of my head for some time now and I decided to look into it.  I talked to a close friend who is a Mass Communications major at my school and she told me everything about the major and what it entitles… and it really excited me! I started researching the major and learned what kind of jobs I would get with a Communications degree. Well, the more I learned about it the more I wanted to do it. I still didn’t want to declare anything until I finished the semester… because I didn’t want to make the same mistake I did with Graphic Design. Well, one day in class, it finally hit me that I want to major in Mass Communications and work in media. I thought it would be a perfect fit for me so I contacted my advisor and filled out a form to change! I start my classes next fall. I’ve never been so excited about something in my entire life and I’m so happy that I’ve finally figured out what I want to study. This career has so many different fields and job opportunities that the amounts of jobs are endless… especially being so close to Charlotte!

My point to this blog post is to tell incoming or current college students that it is absolutely and 100% okay to not know what you want to do. If you are thinking about changing your major, then talk to someone in that major before you switch! That’s what I did and it was the best decision I’ve ever made.

Relating back to the bible verse, I believe that God does indeed have a plan for all of us. He puts us down a difficult road where we face struggles and hardships because He knows that in the end, the results will be beautiful.  Somebody asked me a few weeks ago what my ultimate goal in life was and I answered, “I want to live in Charleston, with a loving husband and two amazing kids.”  I believe that God will eventually give me that, but it is the journey in between those years that I need to enjoy because I won’t get these years back. Enjoy college, don’t stress about the future, make mistakes, work hard and accomplish something difficult and get a degree! God’s plan for you is amazing and we have to trust in him that he is putting you down the right path.

xox,
C