When I Grow Up by Rachel

When I Grow Up by Rachel - May 2014 Scholarship Essay

When I was little, I did not know what I wanted to be when I grew up. It was a question I heard all the time from curious neighbors and relatives, but I never had an answer for them. Unlike my friends who knew since elementary school that they wanted to be a veterinarian, pharmacist, pilot, or journalist, I did not think I was or ever would be exceptional at one specific thing to want to do it for the rest of my life.

Not knowing what I wanted to be never bothered me until the question turned into, ‘What are you majoring in?’ I still did not have an answer and I was in high school now. I felt nervous when I filled in ‘Undecided’ as my major on AP tests, PSAT’s and SAT’s, and college questionnaires. Wasn’t I supposed to know what I wanted to be by now? How were all of my classmates and friends so solid in their decision when I was still unknowing of mine?

I started to express my concern about not having the slightest idea of what I want to major in and some of my teachers and friends voiced their personal experiences to me. One teacher explained that he went to college dead set on a business degree, but ended up transferring colleges and graduating with a teaching degree. I have had a few friends who are in college tell me that they have switched their major one or two times and are still questioning whether it is the one for them. Another college friend said to me that she still does not know what she wants to major in and is taking a wide variety of classes to find out her passion.

The main message in all of their stories was that it is perfectly fine to not know what you want to major in. It is also normal to change your mind even if you thought your intended major was the right choice for you. Hearing that other people were indecisive in choosing a major as well made me realize that it is okay for me to not know what I want to be. I realized that people go to college to learn new information and to find out more about themselves, and it is the perfect place for me to figure out what I want to do with my life.

I began my first year of college still undecided, but less stressed because I had a few ideas in mind. The more classes I took helped me reject certain areas of study and narrow in on others. Now that the first year is over, I feel confident in declaring that I have decided I want to be a teacher when I grow up, I want to major in education. However, I still have three years left and this choice is not permanent. I may decide to change focuses in the education field, or I may decide to change majors entirely. I accept these facts because I know that with perseverance and dedication to my ambitions, I will end up where I decide I want to be.