Decisions regarding future plans worry a junior

College is full of decisions. Oftentimes they are as simple as picking a room on campus or perhaps as complex as deciding on a major. The first two years are packed with new experiences, friends, jobs and opportunities and by the time we reach the ever anticipated summer break before the start of our junior year, we are inevitably exhausted. Just when we think we are out of the dark, junior year hits us with a new round of decisions that pack far more of a punch than their first-year counterparts. Not only do we begin taking the upper-classmen courses that include rigorous coursework pertinent to our ma­jor but the decisions we face of­tentimes affect more than just our college careers.

As a second semester junior, people have begun asking what my plans are after graduation. I can't help but feeling lately that every small thing I do is going to impact me in the long run. I have become obsessed with saving money (probably not a bad thing) to help my impending college loans and other anticipated post-grad costs. I rigorously research internships for senior year and po­tential careers I could have after graduation and worry endlessly about whether or not I will love what I am doing when I leave col­lege. I am always ten steps ahead of myself and to be honest it's get­ting exhausting.

A few people have recommend­ed I stop worrying so much, that I should just go with the flow and everything will work its way out. The problem is that I have worried endlessly my entire life about ev­ery little detail and it is hard as a junior to just stop.

Although it's tough, I'm learn­ing that when you stop worrying life becomes less stressful. It has given me the op­portunity to live a little more in the present and learn to worry about the things that are in the immediate future. While my type-A personality has ren­dered me a lot of stress at times, I'm grateful that my perspective on life has always been a bit on the grandeur.

However, it's time to slow down and I welcome that.

Ashley Duvall is a junior public relations major from Vernon, NJ. She can be reached at

ashley.duvall@student.shu.edu.