All decisions must be quick. All selections must be fast. It’s an age of immediacy and progress waits for no one — even you. And so you greet your education with a frantic grin, choosing a course to study and refusing to waver from it. Credits must earned and the semester can’t be wasted, which is what so many of your peers are doing. They’re taking the year to discover what they want. You, however, are already certain. You’ll make your choice and revel in the speed… until that speed proves to be problematic.
Selecting a major is too often assumed to be a relentless process: students believe they must craft their lives within the first weeks of school, can experience no distractions. This philosophy is understandable in its intentions but unwise in its reality — because the future is too important to shape on impulses. Courses must instead be examined, understood for the rewards (and frustrations) they can bring.
It’s vital then for all individuals to offer themselves time: let the first year be dedicated to discovery. Indulge in a variety of classes and ideas, learning what appeals and what horrifies. Understand your interests and talents; assess your weaknesses and worries; and then select courses that best reflect these. Don’t assume you must have your future decided before school even begins. Allow yourself instead the chance to decipher what you want and what you’re willing to attempt.
The world moves at a rapid pace — your education doesn’t have to be defined by such standards, however. Offer yourself the ability to study what you wish and take time to gain more than an education composed of books: earn instead a lesson of your needs.