1. The Pressure to know at Eighteen 
Senior year felt like being handed a blank map and being told, “You better not get lost.” I didn’t know the destination—I just knew the road had to lead to something practical, something impressive, something that made it all worth it. Most people don’t know who they want to be for the rest of their lives at eighteen. Yet, this is the biggest question asked at the end of your high school career. Even if you are not reflecting on it yourself, senior year is filled with many final moments and future endeavors. It is the closing of one chapter, the next one is peeking around the corner… and it feels like everyone’s watching.
2. The Weight of Expectation 
My whole life, I wasn’t just encouraged to get good grades, I was expected to get the best. My grandma would always tell me, “You have to go to college and finish through with it. Education is an honor, and you need a job that provides good money. You are lucky to have this opportunity here in America.” That message shaped everything. At eighteen, the only thing I truly knew was that it was my job to succeed; and that doing so would honor the sacrifice my family made to give me a better life. I had to take full advantage of the opportunity they never had.
3. My First Plan: Pre-Med Tunnel Vision 
By the end of senior year, I had chosen to major in Pre-med Psychology. My fascination with the brain—its scientific and psychological functions—was born during my final semester of high school. I was on a mission to become a Physician’s Assistant specializing in neurology. It felt like the perfect path: one that fueled my curiosity and met the expectation of a respectable, practical career.
I had tunnel vision and no room for detours. I was taking all my prerequisites for PA School while racing against a hard deadline: my scholarships only lasted four years and I didn’t have a dollar to spare. Failure wasn’t an option. The pressure was on.
4. The Shift: General Studies and a New Lens 
At my first meeting with my advisor, I found out that my path would take five full years to complete. Even with summer classes. I nearly had a heart attack when she suggested I switch to a general studies major. She explained how it would give me the flexibility to focus on my PA school prerequisites, while also letting me explore classes in psychology and healthcare that sparked my curiosity.
In my sophomore year, I served as vice president of the student government association. I remember my colleague wanting to advocate for renaming the General Studies degree to Interdisciplinary Studies. Looking back, I wish I would have pushed harder for that because that is exactly what a general studies student is: interdisciplinary. If you were to look at my transcript side by side with another alum from the same program, they would look completely different.
I essentially built my degree, thanks to my incredible advisor who happened to be the Dean of University College. Every semester, she fought to get me into the Biology courses I needed. I will forever be grateful for her support. My transcript looks exactly the way I needed it to because she believed in what I was building, even before I fully did.
5. The Stigma vs The Reality 
If you are wondering—no, I am not a PA. I completed everything I needed to apply, but somewhere along the way, I outgrew that dream. After graduation, I realized I wasn’t drawn to clinical settings, or the idea of a highly repetitive day. The truth? I didn’t have a plan B. But my blessing in disguise was the very thing I once hesitated over: the General Studies Degree.
My value comes from the complexity of my education.
It opened a door to multiple paths. My foundation may be in biology, but my skills stretch far beyond it. It dives into Health Service Administration, Data Collection, Relationship Building, Community Management, Public Speaking, and more. My education didn’t just come from coursework, it came from every role I held on campus and every student organization I helped lead. Those experiences taught me just as much as any class, and they continue to add value to who I am today.
This, I’ve learned, is the key to purpose: knowing who you are, what you love, and what you are good at. I was in a mindset that had no room for any of that. “ I have to be a PA.” “I have to make money.” “No time for fun or self discovery. This is career time.” That tunnel vision made me miss one of the most beautiful lessons college had to offer: the chance to truly get to know myself.
Many people frown upon a person who jumps from one major to another. But to me, this is the beauty of the university experience. It is self-discovery wrapped in discipline. I don’t regret pursing a pre-med track, but I do wish I would have given myself room to explore. The pressure to choose a practical career and stick to a four year timeline kept me boxed in.
And honestly? That timeline is non-sense. I was full time student who never failed a class, and I still had to take summer classes to graduate “on time”. So if you are still in school, trust your pace. Trust your journey.
As Miley Cyrus once said, “It’s the climb.” And it really is.
6. If I Could Go Back 
There is a space just for you that no one else can take. I’d advise against the one-way-track mindset I held onto for so long. Explore many areas of knowledge, join new organizations, give back to your community—give yourself a chance. If I could go back to eighteen, I’d tell myself not worry about who I needed to be for the rest of my life. I’d tell myself to stay open to opportunity, to change, and to the unexpected detours that lead us home.
If my college and early career taught me anything, it wasn’t just how to get a job, it taught me how to listen to myself. Loud enough to trust when a dream no longer fit, and brave enough to chase one that did.
The truth is, the story doesn’t end at graduation. That’s when the real learning began.
But that’s a story for another time.
Cultura and Clarity 
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