When your first college visit comes around, excitement, along with a little fear, is usually present. By the second or third, the excitement has waned and the novelty is gone.

Though it is always nice to miss school while not being sick, depending on where you are on your in your college “journey,” these visits can be confusing and stressful, to say the least.

First come the name tags, the packets, the fun little college souvenirs like backpacks and t-shirts. Then comes the inevitable speech about how great the campus is, all the fun majors, how wonderful your experience will be.

Then comes the tour. Cheerful student tour guides show the main stops along campus and gush about their “wonderful experience at so-and-so University.”

All of these activities can turn into a nightmare experience for a high school student who does not know what they want to study, where they want to go, and what they really are going to do for the rest of their life.

Some exclaim about the absurd notion that a teenager can or should decide what to do with the rest of their life. Some admonish the nervous students and tell them it does not matter if they do not know what they want to do.

Of course, there is always the “undecided major” option, but what if a student studies different subjects for two years only to find that they cannot apply any of those credits to their chosen major? It seems their money and time were wasted.

Money and scholarships are another scary issue. To be in state or out of state? Dorm or home? Study abroad? The endless possibilities can be freeing or terrifying.

In a world where everything seems to be looming up before such a young person very quickly, let us not lose our heads: take some tours, weigh your options, think of what you enjoy, but work hard. For students should leave as many options open as possible and that can only be accomplished through good grades, and a “well rounded” schedule filled with sports, activities, and who-knows-what.

For the seemingly impossible goal, the insanely hard choices, and the seemingly limitless array of possibilities, college visits bring all the stress and worry to the forefront.

When it seems as though everybody has their life together, remember this: your first college does not have to be your last, you can change; your first major is not final, you can change; and, finally, even your first job does not have to be final. Albert Schweitzer was German born and later became a French citizen.

He was first a well renowned organist, then he was a distinguished philosopher and theologian post-WWII, and finally he received his Ph. D and became a medical missionary in Africa, inspiring many people to do the same.

So remember: your first anything does not necessarily have to be your last, and college visits are a necessary evil; however, they are also a wonderful opportunity that could be thought of instead as a special luxury that will allow you to gain new knowledge and hope for a fulfilling career and bright future.

So if you do not know “what you want to be when you grow up” it really is okay. For even when you are grown up, you can be anything you want to be at any time; who knows? Maybe you could be the next successful and renowned organist-philosopher-theologian-doctor-missionary.