When I started college, I was sure I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I would be a double major in chemical engineering and chemistry, go on to get my Ph. D, and then do something awesome (like winning a Nobel Prize or two. No big deal, right?) Fast forward a few years, and I’m graduating in May with a double major in molecular biology and chemistry, with no idea what I’m doing next (although it is most certainly not going to be grad school.)
The point I’m trying to illustrate with this brief anecdote is that when someone tells you that college is a time for figuring out what it is you want to do with your life, listen to them. The worst thing you can do in a college, and in life in general, is to close yourself off to possibilities. It may well be that your life progresses exactly the way you planned (pro-tip: it won’t,) but even in that case, it’s best to be flexible, and ready to jump ship to another life plan if the need arises. That’s the real value of college: realizing that if you have everything figured out on graduation day, you’re doing it wrong.