<p>Alright, I'm going to be 17 in 3 days and I'm graduating 2015. My parents have always put an immense amount of pressure on me (especially compared to my brothers) to go to college, but lately they've kicked it so far into high gear that I have terrible anxiety attacks whenever I even think about doing a college application. Honestly, I feel sick to my stomach just writing this. I don't feel smart enough or capable enough or ready for college yet, but I have no clue why. I've always been very academically minded and at least somewhat successful (3.7 unweighted GPA so far, putting me well above a 4.0 with all my honors/AP courses factored in), with college being my ultimate goal. Until recently. I look at all my peers who took advantage of the resources around them early in high school (I didn't know about a lot of higher level academic programs/opportunities until very recently) and I see myself as inadequate. How am I going to make it in college when the best I've done is take an AP course? That's not even to mention the fact that I have no fucking clue what I want to do with myself and my life. I thought I wanted to major in psychology, but I've been told time and time again that it's a terrible major if you actually want to find a job. Then I thought about dentistry (I love teeth and it would make me really happy to give people beautiful teeth and smiles), but I was told that it's mind-numbingly stressful and insanely difficult, and I'm not someone who handles stress well. I don't know what to do and graduation seems to be coming at me at an alarming rate, which means that the time for applying for colleges and choosing a major is too. How am I supposed to choose a major? How do I cope with stress? How do I choose where to apply to? I need help, but i don't even know where to begin. Honestly, I don't even know if college is right for me. </p>
<p>First of all, you’re going to do great. You sound smart and insightful and diligent…just what a college student needs most. And the best part of college is that you aren’t supposed to know more what you want to do next…that’s what freshman year is for. You’re supposed to be confused! So, see, you’re already doing things right. 
Hugs to you and i’m sure others will jump in with great advice and roadmaps. </p>
<p>I am in a similar boat as you. I did not know of many of the academic opportunities early in high school. Also, I did not challenge myself academically until Junior year because I didn’t completely know how much it mattered in the end.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, for any student who earns a 3.7 UW GPA you have many options available to you. In 10 years when you are a Nurse, Engineer, Research scientist, Nun, doctor, whatever… nobody will care about what you did in high school. A 3.7 gpa is competitive for almost all universities.</p>
<p>I would recommend spending a lot of time on this site. That’s how I first “dove into” the entire process. Get the general gist and research schools that you come across, especially ones that are recommended to other posters who sound like you. In fact, I would recommend going to college search forum and giving some basic info: GPA, Test scores, rigor, extra-curriculars, how much your family can afford, etc. You’ll get a lot of opinions to help you start your search.</p>
<p>Don’t worry about that whole major thing too - I think the average college student changes his major 3 times. </p>
<p>Don’t give out personal info that can identify you, but post some info so people can make suggestions. The main info is GPA ( which you posted), test scores (if you have not taken SAT or ACT sign up now), locations- such as your home state and where you are thinking about, and financial concerns- will you need need based or merit aid. </p>
<p>People will then make some suggestions for you to start looking at. </p>
<p>I’m sort of in the same boat although due to my parents I worked at this a lot longer.
With a 3.7 gpa you’ll have several options to you although it might be too low for the most selective options. Many colleges let you pick your major after you get into college (freshman or sophomore year) but several either require you too select a major in the application process or select a school within the college (ie like a college of engineering or school of nursing etc). Even at these schools it’s possible to transfer majors. Most schools will still ask what your academic interest is, but for many (the first group) the answer to that question has no bearing once you’re admitted. Research which colleges allow you that flexibility, state schools and more technical institutes generally offer less flexibility but do your research.</p>
<p>First of all, breathe. College applications are very stressful and this is a very stressful time in your life. That’s okay. But everything is going to work out. You do not need to pick a major when applying to college. Many colleges don’t require you to declare a major until after your second year. And even if you do pick a major, over 50% of people change majors during college, which is completely okay also. It’s okay to have no idea what you want to do. I’m in college and still have no idea what I want to do, but that means I get to take a lot of super interesting classes in a wide range of studies. I am learning about so many cool things and it’s really awesome. You’re going to be able to do that, too. Just take a step back, make some lists, and you’re going to do great!</p>
<p>You can apply undeclared. Why Psychology?</p>
<p>Why psychology? If I’m being honest, I’m not entirely sure. I’ve just always been super interested in people and how they work psychologically.</p>
<p>When I first saw the thread title, my first thought was, well, between crying and vomiting, pick crying </p>
<p>It’s a stressful time. I’m reminded of the sports parents who put so much pressure on their kids to excel that it takes the fun out of the game. </p>
<p>Breath. Relax. You aren’t expected to know what you want to do, although it is useful to have ideas about what you like. Tell your parents that their pressure, which you know comes from loving you and wanting the best for you, is actually counterproductive and that perhaps they could put their loving energy towards helping you deal with the application process. </p>
<p>So what states are you from? What is your standardized test scores? Maybe we can help you create a list. It’s normal to feel stress senior year. You have good GPA so I wouldn’t worry too much to the point you get sick.</p>
<p>In college, you’re probably going to take two years’ worth of an array of general education requirements (math, English, science, humanities, etc.) along with a major plus a bunch of classes (electives) in whatever you want (yoga, painting, etc.) across four years. If you try out some interesting internships as a rising college-sophomore and repeat that each summer (at least), you’ll likely find a career that suits you. Some students decide to pick a kind of all-purpose major like business or marketing that can be applied to a vast number of situations. Perhaps you’d like a human resources major (kind of a combo of business and psychology/sociology)? Just pick a college that lets you switch majors if desired (best to do that before you hit junior year in college). Pick a town you’d love, a college that feels right and your family can afford, and apply. The hard part of any application pretty much boils down to asking a teacher or two for written recommendations and your writing an array of essays. The rest is really just fill-in-the-blank. You can handle this. </p>
<p>^^
Most teachers are glad to write recommendation letters. The essays are hard though and how to present your EC’s is also hard.</p>
<p>I think people should study what they have an interest in. If it’s psychology for you, then maybe you can find a branch of it where there are jobs to be had.<br>
Have you thought of Industrial and Organizational Psychology?</p>
<p>OP, apply to college one step at a time. Many colleges don’t require you to declare a major. You can also change your major.
The first step is to choose where to apply. Posting some information: grades, scores, financial considerations, home state and any desired location is a way to start. People will then make suggestions for where to apply. </p>
<p>With those grades, you can get into most colleges. You can go in undecided and see what classes speak to you. Go create an account on CommonApp.org and start working on your essays. You essay will be important to show you as a hardworking and thoughtful student, because it seems that you are. Don’t worry about what you haven’t done; focus on what you have accomplished! Here’s some free help to get you started on those essays: <a href=“Easy SAT - YouTube”>www.youtube.com/EasySATprep</a></p>