Should I enter college right after high school if I do not know what I wish to major in?

If you do not know what you want to do, it would be okay to take some time off before college. I went to college right after high school and then left after a year. I eventually went back and completed my degree, but it took some time to figure out what I really wanted to do.

There is no rule saying you must jump right from high school into college. Think about what it is you really want to do in life. Maybe a traditional college won't even be the right path. Maybe it will be film school, culinary school, or a technical school.

This is a great question because there are so many ways to answer it. Honestly, the values I grew up measured our family's spend on college to what was expected on the other side. Hence, I had to come up with a major quickly my first semester because I had gone in without one. If you honestly have looked into the different majors your choice of university's offers (I'm assuming you've got 2-5 undergrad programs you're looking at) but still unable to isolate what you might be interested in, then my thought... Why not take a semester or a year off? I look back at all the energy and time I had back then and wish I could have had the courage to take some time to go off the beaten path. Now the other important question, if you don't go right to college, what are you going to do with this semester or year you take off? How are you going to pay for whatever you want to do? Interested to hear from that side of the coin...

The "gap" year has actually gained some traction here in the US as of late (as exemplified and more publicly discussed by the fact that President Obama's eldest daughter has announced her intention to do so).

My opinion, if there is something you are looking forward to do, and you feel as if it will help you either better appreciate what you do or make a better decision ahead of what you want to or plan to do, then go for it. Just be prepared to think about how that year off has benefited you, and what your story will be to explain how it furthered your growth. You should always be moving forward, and whether college is your next step, immediately or after time off, or is irrelevant. Whatever your next step is should be a building block for what you plan to do.

There is no right or wrong answer to your question. While you may be unsure of what you want to do, if your future plans include college then you can certainly get started upon your graduation from high school. Taking this route would provide you with the opportunity to take the core required courses and to experiment by taking electives in those areas that you are possibly interested in. One route that many students are taking is to enroll in a local college or university to take the core basics and develop an area of focus for the first couple of years and then transferring to a higher profile or ivy league school to study their actual major. Taking this direction save a lot of money and gives you some additional time to think about your major and what you really want to study...best of all your degree will reflect that high profile or ivy league school!

If you decide not to go to school right away that can also be a good choice as long as you make sure you are doing something to advance yourself personally and professionally. Here are some alternatives:
- Learn a Trade
- Get a Job
- Volunteer
- Travel
- Attend a Vocational School
- Join the Military

Good luck! You will be successful no matter which choice you take!