Rachel Weisel | Indecision in the face of 'Undecided'

Looking around at the Majors Fair two weeks ago, I felt lost and bewildered. Houston's Hall of Flags became a blur of tables, labeled PPE, Urban Studies, and Health and Societies. But amid the chaos and confusion, something was missing. There was no table marked "undecided."

There. I said it. I'm undecided. I might as well acknowledge the elephant in the room - on the page.

Completely overwhelmed, I could feel my head spinning. Where was I supposed to start? Taking a pamphlet from every station in the room would not be the most efficient thing to do.

And only visiting tables that I considered to be possible majors might limit myself. I would hate to miss out on something simply because I never considered it.

Though my book bag was overflowing with piles of papers, I left the fair feeling more empty-handed than when I first arrived.

For an undecided freshman in the College, like myself, major fairs can be extremely daunting events. Unlike our peers in the Engineering, Nursing or Wharton schools, we don't have even a semblance of a path cut out for us. At this point, all possibilities are open to us, which can be an exciting, but also frightening, phenomenon.

After completing two semesters at Penn, I still don't know what I want to major in or what I want to do, which is extremely disconcerting to me.

Some days I am eager to soak up as much knowledge as I can, and want to major in everything. Other days, I feel completely uninspired, and want to major in nothing.

If you can't already tell, making decisions is not one of my strong points. In fact, I think I would be the perfect candidate for taking Psychology 153 - "Judgments and Decision Making." I'm not kidding.

On top of everything else, Penn's emphasis on the importance of being well-rounded in the liberal arts rather than on the importance of a specific major only makes things more muddled and hazy.

Whether it's Spanish, gender studies or psychology, at Penn we are encouraged to study what we love. But for those of us who have yet to find our true calling, doing so proves difficult.

There doesn't seem to be enough time to explore, meet the sector requirements, complete the necessary prerequisites and still be able to graduate in four years.

This is truly the first time that I have felt completely on my own. Even with a wonderful support system of friends, parents, relatives and pre-major advisors, when it comes down to it, this decision is mine alone.

My despair brought me to 120 Logan Hall, in the College office, where I finally received the invaluable advice and reassurance I needed.

Janet Tighe, dean of freshmen and director of Academic Advising, explained that instead of demanding answers, we should be asking ourselves questions. Questions about which classes we like, what kinds of course work we enjoy and which subject areas we can either eliminate or investigate.

Each semester should be treated as a unique opportunity to learn about ourselves.

Most Penn students got here because they were highly motivated and goal oriented. This makes being undecided even more unsettling, since there isn't always a clear or tangible goal on which to focus. But this doesn't mean that we can't strategically channel our efforts.

"The goal should be: How do I make the most informed decision about my major? How do I let myself explore without just drowning in the choices? And part of that is learning how to make controlled choices," Tighe said.

If you're feeling lost like I was, I encourage you to seek help. It's there if you really look for it. In addition to pre-major advisors, students should also contact advisors from Penn's Major Advising Program, as well as undergraduate chairs or student advisory boards of various academic departments.

Attending majors dinners is another way to gain insider information about a specific major.

It helps to keep in mind some advice I got when I first visited Penn: The most popular and common majors among incoming freshmen at most schools are "I don't know" and "undecided." Clearly, we are not alone.

When I was younger, people used to ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up. To be honest, I still don't know. But part of growing up means learning how to make informed choices. As for now, the only decision I can make is to accept my indecision and believe that it is only a matter of time before I find my passion.

Rachel Weisel is a College freshman from Chesterfield, Missouri. Her e-mail address is weisel@dailypennsylvanian.com. Writes of Passage appears on Fridays.

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