Well, i’ve had that time of realization in my life: I have no idea what to do with my life. I know its mid-junior year and it might be late but how am I go approach college? I’m thinking of applying to some summer programs but I don’t know what to do? I’m generally smart (4.0, 2000+ SAT, etc.) and I’m generally interested in the Math/Science area.
I just want some advice from either past applicants, parents or even current students: How should I approach this dilemma? Should i just pick an area that I think I want and pursue that? Should I wait and see which area i like? I just want some guidance because I have absolutely no idea what to do?
Thanks for reading this and reply if you can help!
You’re a junior. You’re not supposed to know what you want to do with your life. You’re supposed to be trying things out and generally getting a sense of direction (which most often involves the experience of saying, 'that’s so NOT what I want).
If you like math/sciences, you already have an important piece of that puzzle. You can get more specific once you are in college - schools don’t expect you to declare a major until the end of your second year. Your more immediate task is to figure out what kind of school makes sense for you. First talk to your parents about what they they think would be a good fit (they know you pretty well by now), what they can afford and what constraints they may want to place on the search. Then get a college guide from the library (Fiske or similar) and start reading about schools. Try to develop some criteria for selecting schools rather than coming up with specific places - the size, the location (part of the country, urban/suburban/small college town), the kind of things you might want to study, the general vibe. You can do search on CC on topics like LACs vs. Unis. Use the CC Find A College feature at the top of the page here.
Spring break is a great time to visit schools that you think might interest you if that’s something your family can swing (but if not, it doesn’t matter - lots of people don’t have that luxury.) At a minimum a visit to your state U would be a good idea since that’s the default option for most people.
By the time senior year comes around, if you’ve done your research, you should have some good ideas about what might be a good fit and CC can provide more advice once you’ve got your search narrowed down a bit. As for the rest of your life, well…you have the rest of your life to figure it out, just like the rest of us.
You’re a junior. The reality for most average students is that they don’t really know what they want to do until their sophomore year of college. Visit schools, participate in a variety of different activities that grant experience. You might not find what you’re drawn to until you’re in college, and that’s fine. You aren’t supposed to have it all figured out. The truth is, nobody ever has an actual idea as to what they’re doing. Life is about winging it and pretending to be confident enough in the choice.
Thanks N’sMom and Badgers21, i guess I will just apply in a general math/science related area. However, I have a quick question: what should I do this upcoming summer? Should i apply for an internship in some science related area, go for a summer program at a university, etc.? What do you guys recommend?
Work a summer job and learn a little about the real world and people that are different from you. Then see college as a place to clarify your interests and strengths. The above posters have given good advice.
Agree with snarlatron. A summer job is a very reasonable way to push your boundaries, which is what you want to be doing over all of your summers - getting out of your comfort zone, meeting people you wouldn’t ordinarily, and ‘tasting’ the world. But the options you suggested are fine too. It’s not what you do but what you get out of the experience. A lot will depend on where you live, what kind of resources (financial and personal) you have at your disposal, and what you enjoy most. The latter is important - life isn’t just about eating your veggies. You need to find out what brings you joy, stimulates your brain, piques your curiosity. Summers are just another opportunity to find out.