"What's your major?"
"Oh, I'm undeclared"
*Head nod and awkward smile*
I've had this conversation with more people than I can remember. People seem to associate being undeclared as going nowhere in life and not having a plan. The way I see it, not setting a plan so early in life can be beneficial. I've enjoyed taking multiple classes and realizing what ones I absolutely hate. Not being tied down to a major allows for me to get all the things I need to graduate out of the way, and then I have the luxury of deciding any class that I want to take. Not having set in stone classes that I'm tied down to makes for the college experience to be a lot less stressful. I don't have to suffer through a class because it's required for my major, if I don't like it, I can drop it. Taking any and every class that I have even the littlest interest in, it allows me to discover more of what I'm truly interested in. Even taking classes that I have never been interested in allows me to broaden my sense of what I would want my future to be.
Hearing people put me down for my major, or lack of, has really made me realize how stressful and pressing this society can be. Being undeclared doesn't mean I don't have a future, it means that I'm trying to figure out what future will make me the happiest. It shows that I don't like making life changing decisions before sitting down and really thinking my future through. Some people need more time to decide, and I decided that instead of constantly changing my major or being stuck in a major that I hate, it would be more beneficial for me to take classes that would give me a taste for what those majors would be like.
I wish I could explain this to people more so they could understand, but today's society can be so judgmental that they won't even listen. This doesn't just happen with family and friends, it happens with professors too. I hate when professors go around the room and ask us all who we are and what our major is, not only because it's annoying, but because I feel embarrassed when I state that I'm undeclared. I feel as if this is a thing that needs to be changed. Being undeclared should not be looked down on, just because somebody is unsure of what they want to do for the rest of their lives does not mean that they won't make something of themselves.
It's perfectly okay to be undeclared, it doesn't make you less smart or less likely to succeed in what you choose to do. It just means you need a little more reassurance that the future you think you want is really the future you can handle having. Making any decision that will lead to your long term happiness is not a bad decision. Don't feel ashamed if you're undeclared, you might get odd looks and misunderstood comments, but in the end, it's a better decision if you're unsure of your future.
