A Service of The Arrow           Friday May 12, 2000 2:26 PM

"So what are you going to do next year?" This hard-to-answer question haunts seniors, and it always seems to lead to others like, "What are you going to study? Or the almost impossible to answer "what do you want to do with your life?"

Early in the school year these questions are daunting, pressure filled, and hard to answer, yet for some inexplicable reason people are compelled to answer them with something other than "I really don’t know." It is as if at 17 or 18 years old, if your not sure what direction you want your life to take, you’re behind the game. But if the truth be told, how many people know what they want to do in the following years, let alone the rest of their life at the beginning of their senior years? And of those people who think they know, how many are right?

Those that do answer with "I don’t know", or "I’m not sure if I’m ready for college" face the disappointed and insincere response of, "Well that’s O.K., you’ve got time." But who believes the "you’ve got time" answer when parents, counselors, peers and teachers are all telling you it’s time to get moving, apply for all the colleges you can, beef up your student profile, and make sure to get enough community service in. Its all got to be done now because you need to "make sure to keep all your options open." In short, people who have lived sheltered lives throughout high school, who don’t know what the world has to offer them, or what they have to offer the world for that matter, are being forced to make life shaping decisions, and to make them quickly.

British students have traditionally taken a year off after high school to "find themselves." Some work, some travel, some do volunteer work in other countries. Most gain life experiences, and learn what kind of things appeal to them. What better way to decide what kind of direction you want to go in the world than exposure to the real world itself. With this system students learn what is out there for them, and can learn first hand why an education is important. It also provides more time to make sure you’re going to school because you want to, and know that school is a vital part of the recipe for a successful future, not because its expected. If a practice such as this were more widely accepted it would stop people who know the importance of school, but need more time to sort themselves out, from going to college because they weren’t sure what else to do. Also, because people would come back from their school hiatus fresh and more motivated. They can also feel a little more secure about spending anywhere from $10,000 to $40,000 a year on schooling because they know it’s directing them down the path they want to go in their lives.

But the fact of the matter is we do live in the United States and there seems to be a general dismissal of those who aren’t going to college right away. It’s as if people don’t believe that students will ever get to college if they take a year or two off. There is so much pressure to get your life right on track and start making money and "amounting to something" I’m sure many people get on the wrong track. It’s no wonder the drop out rate among college freshman is so high. Why the rush? You have your whole life to graduate from college and then work eight to five at a job you don’t like with only two weeks off every year for 40 years, be forced into retirement and then live off your kids. People shouldn’t be afraid to explore alternate paths. Although helpful, college isn’t necessary to be successful. Look at Dave Thomas or Bill Gates. But remember, being successful should not be measured scholastically or monetarily.

Although I’m sure there are many seniors out there who are sure about their college right now, who have a plan and are confident of where it will lead them. I, for one, am not. I’m concerned about the pace of life and fully support the "stop and smell the roses" philosophy. Think about all the people who are in such a hurry to grow up that they blink and all of a sudden wake up in 25 years, realize they never "made their mark", and that they married to young and didn’t explore alternate walks of life. If down the road you find yourself in this situation, don’t hesitate to chuck it all and try and rediscover what truly makes you happy. And I wouldn’t worry about making your mark_you’ll be forgotten eventually anyway.

So in hindsight, I guess I do have a pretty good plan for my future. I’m not going to think about all the people that tell me I have "great potential" or that I am going to "do great things." I’m going to stick to doing what makes me happy, the rest will work itself out. That and I’m going to marry into money.

senior Daniel di Stefano

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