A common conversation among high school students is and will always be what are you planning to do in college? From biology to criminology, there are roughly 2,000 different college majors to pursue, and the decision only gets more daunting as seniors approach graduation. However, this life-changing decision might be a little less final than you think. 

Statistically speaking, around 80 percent of college students will switch their majors at some point during their college careers. Exploration is a vitally important piece of higher education and that includes exploring career paths. Most colleges will allow students to transition into different majors at any point in their college years; however, depending on the time and requirements of a degree, it could increase that student’s cost and time in school to make a change.

In addition, most colleges offer periods of exploration, including Oregon State University and the University of Oregon. By entering undecided, you have the opportunity to explore different majors, along with career services and academic support. Most don’t require you to declare your major until well into your freshman year or even later, and with that time, you can focus on general education, as well as introductory courses in different departments. 

Your likes and dislikes are constantly fluctuating. Just because you don’t know what you are going to do now does not mean that you will be stuck forever. College is a resource for exploration and finding what field suits you best. There are so many different career paths that aren’t publicly known.

Another fact to consider is that what you major in is not necessarily a degree you will use in your later life, but that does not mean it was a waste of time. A bachelor’s degree in one area might lead to an interest in another. You might have the opportunity to go back to school and get a different degree later on, as well. According to a survey done by CBS, around 52 percent of students will go into a job after college for which their bachelor’s degree was not necessarily required. 

While these decisions might feel like they are the most important of your life, remember that there is no harm in not knowing exactly what you want to do.