From Maryland to Louisiana

Last week I wrote about how after growing up in California, I decided to head to the east coast for college. Today, I will tell you Part 2, or how after going to college in Maryland, I decided to go to grad school in Louisiana.

I had originally gone to college thinking I would be a history major, but wound up double majoring in Math & Chemistry. Yes, I am a bit indecisive, basically I thought I would be avoiding writing papers. No one tells you freshmen year you will have to write Math papers. But entering senior year, again I had no idea what I wanted to do. I didn't know what kind of job I wanted to have. I didn't know if I wanted to move back to California or try living in Maryland for a few more years.

Most of my friends in my major knew exactly what they were doing, but only because they were going to grad school. I knew people going to med school, to pharmacy school, to law school, to get a math PhD, and to get a chemistry PhD school. So I figured I might as well go to grad school too! I had spent the previous summer working in a chemistry lab. And while parts of it were fun, I really didn't want o spend a lot of time in a lab. Which left math. Guess I was going to grad school in math!

Which meant I had to decide where I wanted to apply.I wound up with a list, about 5 or so schools long. With schools in North Carolina, in Georgia, in South Carolina, in Maryland, and in Massachusetts. Except for heading up to Boston, they were all somewhat coincidentally in the South. Was it a conscious decision, not necessarily. But I did like the idea of trying out a new part of the country.

Then the day I finished all of my applications I received an e-mail asking me to apply to LSU. I figured why not, it couldn't hurt, especially since there was no application fee.

Again, I got into most of the schools I applied to, and I had to make yet one more decision. I had actually been to Louisiana to visit a friend the previous summer. And while they would no longer be there when I started school, I liked to idea of going something that I had at least been before. Also I had applied to a slightly different field of math at LSU, and would be a little more familiar with my coursework. But I can't say there was an overwhelming right decision. I definitely worried that I was making the wrong choice. And now looking back, I can't even imagine where I would be if I hadn't made it. Its funny the way things work out.

Did you have a hard time deciding what you wanted to do when you finished college? Or if you're still in college, do you know what you want to do once you graduate? O, the possibilities.

~Shoshanah