I am currently in my junior year of college and I’m feeling very unsure about where I am and if I am even in the right place.
I have friends at college and I even came to college with a few of my really good friends from high school. I currently live with one of my best friends and we get along great.
Part of my problem is that I have always been very homesick for all 3 years that I have been here. I go home about every 2 to 3 weeks, and I am thankful that I am close enough to home. I wouldn’t be able to handle being any farther away than what I am.
Another part of my problem is that I don’t absolutely love my major. I started out in pre-optometry, but knew it wasn’t right for me. I then switched into a General Biology major. I don’t mind it, but I just don’t feel in my gut that it is really the right thing for me. It’s difficult accepting this because I always did so well in high school and the fact that I still don’t know which career and path is right for me seems like a failure.
It seems to be a mix of not knowing where I’m headed in my future and it just being so hard to be away from home. I have been contemplating transferring to a school that is close enough to home that I can commute to, but that is a big decision in itself. It just seems like a waste of mine and my parents’ money for me to be here and not be having the time of my life and happy.
Any kind of encouragement or advice you may have would be appreciated! Sorry it’s such a long post, but thanks for reading (:
It’s normal to change your major a time or two—welcome to a very large club! You are not the same person you were when you started college and that is fine.
It would be great if you could find a major that is a better fit for you. But if you are out of time as a junior, it is okay to finish your degree general biology. Everything will work out.
Homesickness hits in waves. The best anecdote is to keep busy. Is there an activity you could start that would help you find your true interests and/or meet people with like interests to mentor you?
I try to do as much as possible. I’m in an RSO (registered student organization) on campus, and I attend as many campus events as I can. I also try to work out at the gym regularly, along with weekly “friend nights” where we all just get together and hang out to keep connected. The rest of my time is spent doing homework/studying, going to class, eating, and sleeping!
I know I’m not as involved as many other students are, but I try to do the best that I can in that aspect.
Does your school offer career counseling / testing services?
As much as I hate to say it, I think this is one of your biggest problems. While it might seem impossible to you now, I think visiting home less often is a necessary step if you want to enjoy college more. By visiting home so frequently, you are avoiding the commitment necessary to start your new college life.
Everyone gets homesick when they start college. The ones who end up enjoying college bite the bullet and accept their new lifestyle. After a month or two, the shock goes away and you should start to have more fun. But you need to commit to it!
As for your career uncertainty, I agree with tikimom in that you should seek a counselor at your school. They won’t make a decision for you, but they will give you the skinny on what options you have and what you might be interested in!
I have visited the career center before. It was a 3 visit type thing where they did all of these tests on my personality, interests, etc. All of the careers in my top 10 were things like a secretary, clerical aid, things like that. I found that discouraging because you almost don’t even need a college degree to get some jobs like that. Also, none of those really fit into my interests. The career counsellor did say that sometimes the tests can be a bit off.
As for going home, I believe both tikimom and fractalmstr do have a point. The longest I have gone away from home was 5 weeks, and that was much too long for me. Being able to look forward to going home is one of the biggest things that keeps me sane while I’m here, which I find odd that I’m in my 3rd year of college and I still feel this way. I guess it will just be something that I will have to work on!
Thank you all for your input so far! 
How about an academic advisor? They sometimes can be more helpful than the career center