Growing up
September 16, 2005
Where do you want to go to college? What do you want to major in? These are just a few of the questions I receive on a daily basis from my parents, their friends, my teachers, and relatives. "I am only a junior in high school" is how I respond to most of those questions. I'm not ready to think that far in advance. It seems like hundreds of light years away from the point I am at in my life right now.
I feel like I was a freshman just yesterday. How can I already be ready to look at colleges? I just began my junior year 3 weeks ago and the buzz around school is about how many AP classes people are taking or what colleges they are thinking of applying to.
Junior year is the year where teachers stop treating their students like children and start treating them like college students. Every day during one of my AP classes my teacher says that we are in a college course and she is going to start treating us like college students. Instead of the teachers spoon-feeding us the material that will be on the test, they give us the chapters to read, and it is our responsibility to understand the material. In the past, I usually waited until the night before to do my homework or study for a test. At this point in high school, it is almost impossible to procrastinate. Instead of just memorizing a ton of information, I have to memorize it and be able to analyze and manipulate all of the data.
My life up to this point has always been pretty simple. The biggest decision I have ever had to make is which local high school I wanted to attend. It is unbelievable that I will soon have to choose the path I want to take to determine my future. The responsibilities just keep building up. First, it is what classes I want to take to finish off high school. Then, I must decide what college I will attend. Once in college, I have to determine a major. Right now I am just focusing all of my attention on my school work and putting off looking at colleges until it is closer to crunch time. I do not think I am ready to decide the next 4 years of my life quite yet. On the one hand, I want to go to Indiana University and be with all of my friends that I have known forever. On the other hand, I want to branch out and broaden my horizons by putting myself in that vulnerable position of not knowing many people. My indecisive days are coming to an end, and I need to grow up and take responsibility for my choices.