Going to College on Purpose

by Joi Malloyd

Purpose. This one word can carry a fair amount of weight. When asking someone how it applies to their own life, this word is often preceded by the statement, I don’t know mine. We as college students attempt to map out what classes and experiences will get us to a place where we can reach a fulfilling end. We don’t want the all-nighters, student loans, and office hour visits to be in vain. We have a goal in mind for the trouble we go through to study at UMSL. We want to do what we are hardwired to do. We want to be who we are destined to be. We want our work to never feel like a job. We want to enjoy doing what we love for the rest of our lives and then teach someone else to do that very same thing.

However, there are thousands of possibilities when it comes to a plan of study. Most students feel overwhelmed over how to choose which major and minor will get them to their purpose. Many times I have asked myself, “How do I narrow down all my interests, aspirations, and future dreams into a major and a minor?” So, how do we choose what to study and predict where it will lead us in the future so that our money and time is not wasted?

First let me give you a definition. According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, the word purpose is defined as follows:
a. Something set up as an object or end to be attained: intention
b. Resolution, determination

Based on this definition, most students, including myself, think about purpose as it relates to our education all wrong. I have assumed that majoring in chemistry would pigeon hole me into one profession, especially if I continue on the pre-medical track. This proposition scares me greatly as I continually find new things that I love to study and other things I am passionate about. I have been considering changing my major for a long time now, but many of my reasons I see now were misguided.

I also assumed that what I study dictates what will end up doing for the rest of my life. Our purpose as individuals is so much bigger than the next few years of our college careers. While what we do now will shape our future, we cannot get so caught up with the next four to five years that we cut ourselves of from the opportunity to use our many gifts and talents that can never be limited to words on a certificate.

I want to encourage my fellow Tritons in knowing that there is always room to learn more and try something new. What you are studying now may lead you to something much different in the future, so much so that you change your major. Not every person you see in a specific career has been on the same path their whole life, whole career, or even what they originally studied in school.

Be encouraged and relax. Have fun learning in college. Your purpose is not what job you will have or what major you choose. Let college be a time where you explore those gifts and find where you can use them to better yourself, the UMSL community and eventually the world.