When you are in college, you are asked the question "What are you studying?" more times than once. I have asked it myself, and I notice that many freshmen aren't sure what they would like to do quite yet. I have been lucky--I have known for years that psychology is the road I want to take. It probably sounds super cliche when I say I want to help people, but it is the truth.
Back in my freshman year of High School, I went through many trials and challenges. I remember asking myself why I went through so many hard times. I was struggling to see how they were going to help me, or how I changed from the experiences. As time went on, I witnessed many of my close friends going through almost exactly the same things I had. They quickly turned to me for advice and support. In those moments I gained not only an idea of what I wanted to do, but I also gained a realization of the purpose of trials. Lending support and feeling like I had made a difference in someone's life was an amazing feeling.
I got into high school and took a psychology class, and I was hooked. I took AP Psychology my senior year, and put most of my efforts towards succeeding in that class. After much studying, I was able to score high enough on the AP test that I got credit that went towards my planned psychology major here at BYU. I was so excited and ready to jump right in! Intro to the Psych Major is a required course for all psych majors, and it started out really well. But as the class went on, I began to feel discouraged when I thought about how competitive everything seemed, and all the schooling I would need to go through after graduation. I started to question if this path really was for me; I wasn't sure I could handle it. I talked with my mom about everything I had been feeling, and she advised me to pray and fast about it. After many days, I felt reassured that I should stay in the program. I had initially planned on going into clinical psychology, but I felt impressed that I should shift my attention to something more along the lines of social psychology. Planning for that transition has felt completely right, and I am still planning on pursuing a career in that field.
Something that has recently caught my attention is working in a center for girls and women who have eating disorders. I have seen too many girls and friends go through feelings of insecurity and turn to an eating disorder. I think it would be so rewarding to help women become both mentally and physically healthy, and help them gain a positive self image. I also think this career choice would be a better lifestyle for me as I start my own family. This career wouldn't require as much schooling or time, so I would be able to still have a strong focus on my own family.
Although my plans may change, I feel I am off to a good start!
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