Most students are somewhere on one of three paths when they choose their colleges.
- I know what I want to do with my life, and college is the path that will help me get there.
- I have some idea of what I want to do with my life, and I’d like to use my time in college to explore that path before I commit to it.
- I have no idea what I want to do with my life, and I’m going to college to discover more about myself, my talents, and my future path.
Some colleges are much better suited to one path than they are another. If you’re sure you want to be an engineer, it doesn’t make sense to go to a college that doesn’t offer an engineering major. But you don’t necessarily need to attend a highly selective engineering school to start down that path. You have options.
You can pick your colleges and then try to force yourself onto the path(s) they’re best suited to offer. Or you can pick the colleges that are suited to the path you already have to offer them. The former approach requires that you change your path. The latter allows you to embrace it.
Many–if not most–teens can’t draw a line to their future career today with 100% certainty. If you can, then please do. But if you can’t, don’t force it. Whichever path you’re on, there’s a college out there that will help you discover, test, or follow it.
Identify the path you’re on today. And choose a college that will help you take the right path to your tomorrow.