As an open option student at Iowa State, some students may feel lost and limited in their choices, but they don’t have to, said senior Kalsa Parker.

According to the Iowa State webpage, about 20 percent of ISU students enter school without declaring a major. Proudly stating “undecided is our most popular major,” should make those students who haven’t chosen a career path a little less nervous. They aren’t alone.

Parker, a former open option student and current environmental science major, is slated to graduate on time in 2017, even with a full year of not knowing which classes she should take for her future.

“I know people who just let their advisers pick classes for them based on gen-eds,” Parker said. “But they could be so much more informed if they chose classes that interested them and really explored the different fields Iowa State has to offer.”

Eva Kuntz, a first-year student in open option, can agree with the challenges of choosing classes.

“Honestly, it’s really difficult to pick third semester — or even second semester — classes when you don’t know your major,” Kuntz said.

As an Honors Program student, she was required to set up a four-year plan. Kuntz said it was difficult to sit down and look through all the majors and classes Iowa State offers and come up with a semester-by-semester game plan.

Thomas Woodruff, a sophomore in communication studies, said he had a more positive look on starting his ISU adventure undecided.

“By coming in open option, I was able to take classes in art history, computer science [and] kinesiology,” Woodruff said.

Kuntz is doing what she can to get on track, but even as an honors student, she has fears for the future.

“I worry that if I don’t choose a major soon, I will have to tack on more semesters of schooling, which is more money and time spent in school [rather] than out looking for a job,” Kuntz said.

Nerves on this subject are common, Parker said. Before declaring her major, she admitted to having fears for the future.

“And I still do,” she said. “It’s hard to be entirely sure where you want to go or what you want to do. I’m confident in the decisions I’ve made regarding my major, but I still don’t know everything about what I want to do in the future.”

Even after deciding on a major, those nerves seem to pop back up, said Mariam Remus-Marante, freshman in political science and international studies, who was also an open option student.

She took a big chance leaving her home in Puerto Rico to come to school in the United States, especially not knowing what she would be studying once she came here.

“Universities in the United States have the benefit of entering open option, which meant that it was ‘okay’ not to know what I wanted to study,” Remus-Marante said. “So I told my mom, ‘don’t worry, it is true that I don’t know right now what I want to study, but at least I know I am going to study and get a degree.’”

Remus-Marante found classes she enjoyed early on and felt that she might have chosen her potential career path.

“I went to Career Exploration Services before I was going to declare my major because I wanted to make sure that I was actually choosing the right major for me,” she said.

Remus-Marante said the staff could tell she was passionate about political science and questioned why she wasn’t ready to declare.

“I said to him that the thought of knowing from that point on I was working on becoming a professional scared me,” Remus-Marante said. 

The staff member told her that it was normal for those in her place to have those fears. He comforted her enough that she went to her advisor and declared her major the same day.

Woodruff had always known he wanted to make the lives of others better and wanted to use communication everyday. He knew that is what would make him happy.

“Once I returned home, I did research on the potential majors that related to the closest career I could find,” he said. “Either student affairs, personal coach or adviser.”

He found a major at another institution called “Organized Behavioral Studies” and found that Iowa State’s own communication studies major followed the same basic principles.

He is still unsure of his plans after graduation but he knows he wants to help people live happier, healthier lives.

“Nothing is set in stone,” Woodruff said. “But I can see myself in the future as a motivational speaker, chapter adviser, or some position that is related to leadership and/or personal development.”

Woodruff is not alone in his half-certain plans for the future. Although some students know what their major is, they’re still undecided about their career paths.

“I remember I never truly knew what I wanted to study. Adults always ask that even if you’re 15 and you are just starting to figure out who you are,” Remus-Marante said.

Now that she knows what she is studying, she still isn’t sure about what she wants of her future.

“But one thing has stayed the same — I knew [then] and I know [now] I want to help people, be an impact in people’s lives and I want to do something that I am truly passionate about,” she said.

Without a career path, she has other personal objectives and an “open mind of what I can do in the future. I am setting myself big goals that I am not sure if one day I will get to accomplish, but if you never try, you will never know.”

Just because a student might think they know what they want to study when they enter college, they don’t have to stick with it. 

“I though I wanted to do biological and pre-medical illustration when I got here,” said senior Kalsa Parker. “Taking DSN 131 was very helpful in that decision. The class was great and I learned a lot, but I also learned I didn’t want to deal with the stress of getting graded on my artwork.”

But there are also students who have always known what they want to work with, but just might not know exactly how.

“I’ve always been a ‘math and science’ type of girl,” Eva Kuntz said.

After excelling in both areas throughout her primary education, she knows she’d like some kind of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) degree once she does graduate.

“I think I really like STEM because it seems to be the future of our world,” she said. “Plus, I really like the satisfaction of solving a tough math problem or finishing a chemistry lab.”

Kuntz still has some fear.

“To be completely honest, I am terrified — not knowing my major is what keeps me up at night,” she said. “I worry that I am not taking the right classes and that I am wasting time and money on classes that won’t help me down my path.”

These concerns are valid. As ISU students, the four-year standard is generally adhered to, perhaps with an extra semester for an internship or completion of a second major.

The advice from students who have been there before is to explore all your options.

Parker said to talk to an adviser and do personal research.

“It’s important to look at what [classes] you will have to take before deciding on a major that might sound cool because you may not be interested in the specifics that you will have to learn about,” she said.

She also advised getting involved on campus with extra-curricular activities.

Remus-Marante said Career Exploration Services was a big part of her decision-making process.

“I was able to choose a major for which I am passionate about,” she said. “And for that I will be forever grateful.”