Most traditional college students enter college when they are between 18-20 years old. Scientists tell us that at that age, young people’s brains are not yet fully formed — especially in the area of executive functioning.
Is it any wonder, then, that many students, (Virginia Gordon, in her book The Undecided College Student suggests close to 50% of them) are undecided about a major when they enter college? Or that approximately 75% of college students change their major at least once during their years in college, with the average student changing their mind three times?
It may not make sense to expect our college students to know at the outset what they want to do with their lives, but we do.
If your student is one of those many students who say they are undecided about a major, you may worry. Your student worries, too. Will they ever find direction? Will they find it too late and not be able to complete college in a timely way? What if they never find the right career? That’s a lot of anxiety.
Being unsure about a major as you enter college is OK — it might even be the most appropriate response.
What is not OK is to allow that uncertainty to become a drifting mentality.
How did we get here? Why do we (and students) worry about being ”undecided”?
”What do you want to be when you grow up?”
We ask our young children that question, and we get those cute responses. ”I want to be a ballet dancing doctor!” ”I want to be a gypsy!” ”I want to be an astronaut and a policeman!” At that age, it’s all about possibilities.
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