This is an article that I hesitated about writing for a long time, if only because I don't know what path I want to go on in my life. Then again, maybe choosing where I want to go or what I want to do is just as important as choosing my major. One's so-called "major" is (ideally) supposed transition into that area of expertise in the workforce. Yet, my uncle, a Religion major, is now a city planner. My dad, a Computer Science major and Psych minor, works for an affordable housing nonprofit. Sounds like drawing, say, popsicle sticks would be just as beneficial. :)

I go to Hamline University, a fairly small school of about 2,000 undergraduate students, in St. Paul, MN. There are many small schools close to where I grew up, and when I toured those schools, the size of the schools seemed to greatly benefit the communities of the schools themselves. The size of the schools seemed to directly correlate with how cohesive and close the communities were. The main reason why I chose Hamline was that it was close to home, Hamline seemed like it had a tightly-knit student body and a neighbor of mine had graduated from Hamline. Not that much to go on.

I grew up in a suburb just north of here, so I'm pretty familiar with my surroundings. I'm fairly liberal in my beliefs, which is part of the reason why I chose a liberal arts school like Hamline. I didn't know whether I'd be staying at home or at school, so I chose a school close to home. I came in not really knowing a whole lot about what I want to do ("want", meaning that I still don't). Additionally, I have a wide variety of ideas of what I want my career to be, the endgames for each being the rewarding experiences on the other end once I would (hypothetically) finish any schooling necessary.

Starting out my freshman year at Hamline was like a first-year's experience at Hogwarts. The amazement of all the clubs and activities, the choices of food during mealtimes, the classes that a student is open to choose, etc... I've ended up doing pretty well here at Hamline, and I've enjoyed the newfound "freedoms" that are exposed or subtly revealed to a young adult such as myself. The three main "freedoms" are that I discovered are that I'm able to have my own schedule, I'm able to "operate" on a day-to-day basis on my own, and that I'm the only one who can effectively make and criticize my (own) decisions. If I decide that a decision (or an action) wasn't worth the effort, I can regret that. If I thought that the costs and the benefits were worth it, then I can be good with that as well, no questions asked.

Now, as I'm in the middle of my sophomore year, when I'm nearing the crucial point to declare my major, I'm finding myself facing some important decisions, one of them being transferring to a different school. The first argument to transfer schools is that since I didn't choose to go to an out-of-state college and I'm doing alright living on-campus, I feel like I've outgrown my stomping grounds, that there's more I want to see in the world. That sounded a little cheesy (even to myself), but traveling is one of the things I enjoy the most! Second, campus becomes pretty "dead" (or quiet), especially on the weekends. I don't have a car or a driver's license yet, so traveling to specific places or for great distances (for a day trip to a state park, for example) can sometimes get complicated.

Where do I want to go from here? What choices and options should/can I consider before I choose a path? How do I think my choices will affect me? These questions are difficult (especially for many people my age), but not impossible. If I do transfer out-of-state, then I think I would go to a school in California or somewhere with a different climate than the Twin Cities.

For now, though, I'm living life one day at a time.