By Mackenzie Watson
When I was applying to colleges, the hardest part was deciding what major path to take. I have always had passions and interests, but nothing that I thought could translate to a career I wanted to pursue. My saving grace was discovering you could go in without a major selected, so that led me to go in “undecided” at Penn State. This was the best decision I could have made for myself as a high schooler and for my future college self.
I spent the first 2 years of my college career in the Division of Undergraduate Studies (DUS). Here, I was able to explore potential major options through general education credits, and I tried everything under the sun. Through this, I learned so much about my strengths and weaknesses and determined some areas where I felt I could excel. Unfortunately, I had to go through some rough patches that confirmed the majors I didn’t want, which was anything STEM related considering I almost failed Biology Calculus and hated every second of it. However, as useless as that class seems to me now credit-wise, I learned a meaningful lesson I am grateful for now. I had always wondered what it would be like to pursue biology or psychology and thought that would be my path, yet the classes I took showed me definitively that route was not for me. In DUS, you benefit from having one advisor lead you and create a schedule that keeps you on track all while exploring the topics you want to try.
There is a stigma around entering college “undecided,” as it seems like you are trying to coast through college or are just indecisive and not putting in work towards a future career. However, it’s just the opposite. I feel that going in undecided almost takes more work as you try out so many different fields, and it requires you to be brutally honest and introspective with yourself to see if that class seems like a major you want to pursue. It gives you the flexibility to try different things before making a decision.
If I could offer any advice, it would be to look into different clubs and events that different colleges have to offer. There are so many different majors and colleges at Penn State that it can be easy for some to get lost in the noise. Be very diligent with reading class or event descriptions to see if any aspect intrigues you the slightest bit. In hopes of finding a more creative major, I found COMM 320, Intro to Advertising, a class that seemed right up my alley, and wanted to explore the topics further. That led me to find Bellisario and look into the AD/PR program and other communications majors. Thankfully, I also took the Intro to Public Relations course and that was the one class that just clicked in my brain and I wanted to keep learning more. While I might have gotten a late start in the PR world, I am still on track to graduate, with 2 minors as well.
For me, it is really important I get a well-rounded college experience, especially considering what I’m putting in, which is a lot of time and money. I want to always make the most of my time here at Penn State and feeling confident in my studies makes it all worthwhile. I love college and am excited for my last year and a half, but what’s even more rewarding is I am excited for my future career.
I could not speak more highly of the undecided program here at Penn State and genuinely recommend it to people all the time. If there is any doubt in your mind, going in as undecided saves you so much stress in terms of switching your major, changing colleges, and changing advisors. In DUS, you have 1 advisor to lead you and create a schedule to keep you on track and explore the topics you want to try. Staying in DUS for 2 years provided me confidence in my choice of PR and now I don’t wonder, “What if I did another major?” or “Could I have done better in another college?” I could not be happier with my decision and am excited for the rest of my college experience within the College of Communications.
Happy Valley Comm 