I got accepted to a school and went to orientation, I had fun but I’m not sure anymore. I’m strongly considering deferring and and am considering not going at all. I have no clue what I would want to major in and am not sure I would really need one at all. I know I want to work with animals. I would like to get a paying job in a shelter or work as and wildlife rehabilitator.
Along with not knowing if I need it the idea of leaving home is crushing me. I was never the kid who went to summer camps or anything, the longest I’ve been away from my family is probably 4 days. I’m a super home body who doesn’t like to party which I feel like is a HUGE part of college culture. Also the thought of not having any pets other than a fish is unimaginable to me. I’ve always had pets and can’t imagine not having any.
I just need help deciding so any advice is so greatly appreciated.
Sound like cold feet. Go. Spend a year and see how it is after second semester (it can take that long to settle in). Go to the career office when you get there and ask them to help you find info on the types of careers you are interested in. Maybe zoology?
There are Agri schools that would love someone like you to help with the animals on campus. If you are in California, at UCDavis and CPSLO, they have big Agriculture programs with students tending to the animals. My dd’s 1st year dorm was feet from the dairy cows.
It does sound like cold feet. If you can’t handle the thought of being away from family, perhaps you should wait. My coworker received her first degree in animal husbandry and also worked with exotic birds. She worked at the local zoo. She says even to scoop out the “poop” you need a degree.
Just go! It couldn’t hurt to at least try it out right? You had fun at orientation. That’s a good sign.
Don’t worry about your major. A lot of people don’t know what they’re going to major in their freshman year.
And not to sound mean, but eventually you’ll be living on your own. You should try and develop your independence in college since you’ll be with others trying to do the same. I had my doubts about how I would function living on campus but I’m doing fine for the most part.
Go online and find any pet shelter, rehabilitation farm, barn, zoo… out there, and email them to offer to volunteer. Universities with a college of agriculture tend to have barns for horses (CPP is famous for their mustangs!) and/or cows and/or other animals.
Sometimes, therapy dogs are brought to campus - where do they come from? Can you volunteer there?
Have you found your roommate yet? Joined the FB page? Do you have an adviser you could email (Dear Professor X…, My name is … I’ll be a freshman at X University in the Fall and I’m your advisee. I am reaching out to you because I need your help: I don’t know what I want to major in but I know I want to work with animals. Are there clubs on campus that I could join? Are there classes that deal with animals? How do I go about figuring out majors I could be interested in? Thank you very much. Sincererely, …) <- email to a professor needs to be as formal as a business letter, even if in person they’re super nice. Don’t confuse the informality of the medium with informality of tone.
I’m the biggest homebody I know and am currently typing this while moping about not being able to sleep in my bed tomorrow night since I’m being forced to go to a relative’s, so take it from me: go.
I know that sounds counterintuitive, but truly, you’ll only make it harder on yourself if you stay at home doing the same things you’ve always done. I dormed on campus, moved back home, moved back onto campus again, and a whole lot of other things, and I’ve found that leaving home never gets easy. EASIER maybe, but not suddenly easy. You think that you’ll be ready in a year or in two, but the truth is that you’ll still be scared and you’ll one day graduate and go, “holy %*=$, I’m an adult now and I have to actually move on with my life!”
So go. Practice being away. Cry in your pillow. Call your mom and cry together with her. It’ll be hard, but you’ll come out a better person for it. And you’ll be back soon - possibly even sooner than you’ll end up wanting.
Don’t let this hold you back! Take a chance, leave the nest, and see the world that’s out there waiting for you!
I’ll offer a counterpoint: if you’re not sure you really want to go, consider a gap year (or two or ten or however long it takes you to decide life would be better with a degree).
College is a big investment. It’s also a big investment that a lot of kids undertake before they have any idea why or what or for how many cookies they are doing it…and drop out a year or two later with no degree but $15,000 in student loans that need paid off (or parents who will never let them live down the “wasted money”). It’s no sin to not be ready to undertake this just because society expects it of eighteen-year-olds.
Take a gap year. Volunteer. Work a crap job. Write or photograph or make music. Figure out what you’d rather be doing ten years from now-- and then go on to university and gain the knowledge you need to do that.
But note that even if your ultimate goal is to work in an animal shelter you would be better off having some useful skills that college will help you obtain – skills like fund raising, grant writing, staff management, revenue forecasting, web design, etc.
This sounds like anxiety convincing you that you won’t succeed leaving your family home. You do know what you want to do (something with animals). What to study may take a little research, that’s freshman year.
Are you usually anxious about new experiences? If so, how did you handle it? You say orientation was fun. So what changed?
I am a huge homebody. I found I do best if I just jump in (sort of like jumping into a pool. I’m usually convinced the water is way too cold for humans but if I jump in and move a bit, it’s not bad. And if it really is that cold, I get out). For example, I booked my family for vacation at a dude ranch. I found I really dislike riding horses (I gave it a try every single day) but I love rock climbing, even though I have a fear of heights. I didn’t let my fear of heights and that inertia prevent me from trying something I thought I would loathe. I absolutely thought I would be that person who is stuck at the top and can’t get back down.
Instead of backing out now, try making Plan B (and C). What can you do if you find the first semester unbearable? The usual answer is stay for the second semester so that’s Plan B. But what if you absolutely can’t stay another semester? That’s Plan C. Come up with a specific alternative (“I can come back home, take classes at the local CC, and work at…”) I’ve found just having options calms and reassures me enough to try out new things and take chances.
I will also say, I am most disappointed in myself when I know my nerves have gotten the best of me and I’ve either given up too quickly or not tried at all.
Last, many colleges have therapy pets for students during stressful periods. If your college does not, may I suggest you look into starting such a program? If the school has it, get involved with the program. Hopefully this will bring you into frequent contact with animals, if not pets.