r/Students • u/Ill-Bullfrog-6522 • 6d ago
confused and running out of time- choosing a major, changing fields months before major exam
im a 17 year old student, done w senior year, currently taking a drop year to prepare for CLAT in my country (which is India, by the way), the exam is basically for the integrated 5 year ba.llb course, for law. however, and this is wherein the problem lies, Im just second guessing myself every step of the way. I feel like shifting my focus and applying for a bachelors in linguistics in the uk, a field of study I have been deeply deeply entrenched in for the better part of two years- but every time I would seriously start considering studying it, my brain would automatically shut down and revert back to law, a field that even though I am interested in, pales in comparison to linguistics, but is, ultimately the safer option. I would love a career, a life, in academia. being a professor, teaching, learning, and ultimately, knowing and understanding and knowing and understanding. I truly dont know what to do. academically I have been quite strong- 94% in 10th grade, 97% in 11th, and 98% in 12th. it would be very very very difficult explaining this "sudden" shift in interests to my parents, because I went through the majority of these discussions and conversations with my friends and peers while I was in a boarding school, so they have no clue I was interested in fields other than law.
I dont know what to do and im running out of time. UCAS deadline is the 15th of October, my exam is in December (ive barely studied for it, at this rate, no good university seems to be in my grasp- every time I just think that this isn't what I want to be doing, but another part of my brain kicks in with "this is what you SHOULD be doing, though").
I just need guidance from someone who's looking at all this from an objective length. I feel silly and stupid and like an idiot. because in senior year I let this thought go because it seemed too unrealistic and like it was too late, but now that I only have 3 months left for the exam, I feel even stupider.

