Major decisions

Obsession of the day: Should I stay or should I go?

I’m trying to decide if I should add another major. Here I am on the verge of graduating with a degree in journalism, but I’m well past burnt out on newsrooms, layouts and inverted pyramid. I went to University Relations today to chat with Lynda and I saw a local reporter talking to Evan. I felt nauseous at the mere prospect of becoming him anytime soon. At least for right now, journalism is not for me.

And so May approaches at lightning speed and I realize I’m about to be cut off from my child support umbilical chord and thrust into the real world with no notion of what to do with myself. It’s not really the unknown that scares me, it’s the fact that I’ve spent the last four years equipping myself for a life I have no intention of leading. Oops.

But then there’s Psychology. I love Psychology. Last semester I took a class on counseling theory and everyday was a vacation. Nothing fascinates me more than discussing the implications of human psychological development, the effects of emotional wounds, the chance for change, and what it means to be healed anyway.

So I did the math. After spring semester, I’ll be 17 hours away from a Psychology major (I’ve done all the elective work for a Psychology minor. Making the minor into a major simply requires 20 more hours of core credit).

I see so many upsides to this, but there’s one big downside that’s been nagging at me: I want to graduate with my friends this May. Still, this could be an amazing opportunity to get more settled into the prospect of adulthood. It would also make me more acceptable to MSW programs if I decide to go that route. I have a few friends who are staying on for a fifth year, as well as several underclassman friends to play with. I would be practically guaranteed off-campus housing. Plus, I’ll have health insurance.

I don’t have to decide right now, but I can’t think of much else. I’m looking forward to talking over my options with Nate tonight on the phone. Until then, I’ll make like a freshman and remain “undecided.”