The anxiety of the undecided major
Of course my roommate is a pre-admit to the B-School
Those of us who identify as undecided majors understand that “what’s your major” is an daunting question. This question is second only to being asked your name. The question is usually genuine, so why then does it cause so much anxiety for students who might have a ‘maybe major’ in mind?
From one undecided student to another, I personally understand the stress that comes along with exploring different majors. Let me tell you my situation: my roommate is a pre-admit to the Kenan-Flagler Business School, my suite mate is a math major taking Discrete Math, and his roommate is a Physics major. Keep in mind that I am not living with juniors. I’m a freshman.
Physics major on the left, math genius left center, my roommate is middle right, and I am far right.
At times, it can be exhausting trying to decide what classes to register for, trying to graduate in four years, and thinking about post graduation plans. But what comes along with these uncertainties is the sense of excitement in finding your passion.
For me, my passion involves understanding more about who we are. This can be observed in many different academic disciplines such as art, music, literature, writing, language, and natural sciences. In other words, I have a hard time choosing just one.
The beauty is that our passions can be completely unrelated in certain ways. Perhaps the best piece of advice I was ever given was at a public lecture for Women’s and Genders Studies 101. During the intermission I introduced myself to the speaker. I discussed my array of interests to her and she said, “Others might think it is crazy that your academic interests do not coincide in the traditional sense now, but this should not discourage you from pursuing them because it is what you are most passionate about, and ultimately that is what matters most.”
After my journey, I would encourage everyone else to do the same, even if you think you want to double major in Chemistry and Comparative Literature. However, I wouldn’t advise double majoring in Chemistry and Biology– that just sounds rough.