Michaela Lumpert, Campus Carrier Copy Editor

It’s that time of year again. The time when everyone is asking you “What’re your plan for the future?” In my life right now, answering that question isn’t a necessity. It’s the end of my freshman year. I still have three years ahead of me to figure out what I want to do for the rest of my life. But for seniors, it’s a completely different story. The rest of their life starts in a little over two weeks. That question I asked before is starting to become more of reality for them than it is for me. 

I remember being asked in high school that same question right before graduation. I felt the nerves settle in as I tried to think about what the future could hold for me. I spent weeks stressing over what I wanted to major in and what I career I wanted. Everyone around me seemed to have a life plan, and here I was, staring at the blank page that became my life. 

Graduation quickly passed, and soon I was moved into my dorm and ready to start college. I came in with a basic plan: I would hopefully graduate in 4 years as an English major and a theatre minor. I finally felt as if I had a life plan. That was until I started my classes. The plan I had scheduled didn’t feel right, and I was back at square one. I was, again, faced with looking into the unknown as all my friends around me started creating plans for their lives. I envied my brother during this time especially. Ever since high school, he knew he wanted to be a psychiatrist. He knew he would attend four years of undergraduate, then another four years of medical school, followed by at least two years in a residency program. It seemed that as soon as one stage ended, he was onto the next scheduled stage in his life plan. 

I learned very quickly that college is about experiencing life rather than worrying about it. It’s about trying different things so that when I get asked that question again, I will eventually have an answer. I can finally say that I believe it’s OK not to have a plan. Majors change every week because students are testing out the different areas of life that they enjoy. 

I came into college as an English major and theatre minor, and now I have switched to a communications- journalism major, with English and dance minors. I never would have imagined I would be studying these things, but I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. 

If you are unsure about your future, don’t worry. You don’t have to know exactly what you want to do for the rest of your life by the time graduation hits. If we spend our lives worrying about the future, then we will never get to experience and live our future. 

So freshmen, experience everything there is in college. Learn what it’s like to try different majors and participate in different activities. And seniors, life doesn’t end when you don’t have a plan after graduation. If anything, life begins. It’s time to take everything you’ve learned in college and implement it in the real world. Maybe not today, but eventually you will be able to answer: “what’s your plan for the future?”