The Journey

An overview of my senior year.
I didn't know what I wanted to do for a long time. Seriously, I have already switched majors twice. I knew I always wanted to go to college and that I had worked too hard in high school to not move forward, but what exactly I wanted to do was beyond me. I had decided that if I hadn't come to any type of realization of what I wanted to do, I would stay home and go to community college. For a long time I wanted to go into business, and I would still love to have my own business today, but I found something I liked even better. My dad mentioned engineering to me, because I have always loved and excelled in math. I didn't even know what engineering was. I was first in general engineering, then I changed to civil, and now I plan on staying in industrial. I didn't realize how interesting industrial engineering was until I actually went to Cal Poly and explored the major. You will only know what you want to do by experimentation. Do your research, and try to see what you are passionate about. I felt like I had no passion, and was just mediocre in a lot of random areas, but keep plugging along and you will figure it out.

Even though you may not know what you want to do, make sure you keep moving forward. Still apply to colleges, don't limit yourself. I applied to several colleges because I didn't know what I wanted to major in or even what area of California I wanted to be in. Make sure you avail yourself to opportunities. I had only applied to Cal Poly because my parents loved the idea of having me close to home, and if I did want to go to engineering, it would be perfect. I had been dead set on going to college somewhere in the LA area, but as soon as I got in to Cal Poly, I knew that was where I needed to be. Once I visited the school, I had no doubt that it was the right college for me. You will know if you're in the right place. Don't worry if you need to switch schools or change majors. College is about growing up and figuring stuff out for yourself, so experiment in different areas and different things, and keep an open mind.

I hate filling out scholarship applications. After applying to colleges, applying to scholarships was the last thing I wanted to do, but honestly, it is so worth it. Apply to everything, even if you don't think you have a chance at one of them, apply anyway. Also, find out what is required for them before the day they are due. I always put them off until the last minute and then realized I needed another transcript or signature or something. Just stay on top of scholarships because they will really help you pull through.