“So, do you know where are you going to school next year?”

It’s the inevitable question dreaded by nearly all seniors. Unfortunately, regardless of your response, it’s almost always followed by the second most dreaded question: “Do you know what you’re going to major in?”

If you’re like me, attempting to answer any of those inquiries in a way that doesn’t make you sound like complete slacker who hasn’t given her future a passing thought is practically impossible. Like a lot of upperclassmen, picking my future university proved a futile challenge, and actually deciding what I planned to study was even more hopeless. At 18 years old, it’s terrifying to imagine that the choices I make this year will affect the rest of my life, so, naturally, I was a bit tentative to officially commit to anything.

While many of my friends decided on their future school back in the fall, I spent my junior and senior years touring five different schools (six, if you count a journalism camp I went to at the University of Missouri during my sophomore year). I went back to a few multiple times, and only had it narrowed down to about three by the fall of my senior year. This, of course, led to constant nagging from my friends and family members until I finally decided on the University of Central Missouri at the end of December.

Though it’s a running joke in my house that I finally made a decision after all this time, I don’t think the amount of time it took me to figure it all out is unreasonable at all. When you tell people that you’re not sure what you want to do with your life, their logical reaction is probably to be concerned that you’re not thinking about your future. In reality, it’s the exact opposite. Choices about your college and career are some of the hardest decisions you’ll make in your entire life, and you should take all the time you have to make an educated decision.

We’re quite a few weeks into the second semester of our senior years, with graduation on the horizon, but if you’re still clueless as to where you’ll be studying or what you’ll be doing next year, don’t panic. Going into college undecided on a major is completely OK. It’s estimated that around 20 to 50 percent of freshmen students are undecided in their major, and approximately 75 percent of all college students will change their major at least once, according to Pennsylvania State University. Most colleges offer programs and services to help undeclared undergraduates pick a degree that’s right for them. There’s nothing wrong with getting your general education classes out of the way and selecting a major later on.

If you’re still stuck on picking a school, there’s no need to freak out about that either. Make sure you have already applied to the universities you’re considering and see if they allow you to put down money on a housing deposit. Once you get that taken care of, you’re pretty much free to go back and forth between schools until May.

For honest, unbiased opinions, you can use websites like Cappex and CollegeNiche to see reviews of the schools by students who attend them. And, if that doesn’t help, don’t be afraid to to take a year off or attend a community college for the first couple years. Though that’s not the traditional method, heading off to a far-away school isn’t the right choice for everyone. Transferring is always an option too, so don’t worry too much about changing your mind later on.

At the end of the day, you have to do what’s right for you. A lot of times, that’s really hard to figure out, but just remember you’re not the only one struggling with a decision. And, the next time someone asks you what your plan is next year, you can tell them you’re taking your time to make the best possible choice.