Change of post-graduation plans

I read about this Web site, http://www.freerice.com/ in the Washington Post recently but I never really paid it any attention until Vicki said she was using it to build vocab for the GRE. Well, I thought, as of six hours ago, I'm taking the GRE next year, so I might as well check it out (More on the latest life plan alteration in a minute).

The concept is simple. You've got a word with four choices and you pick which one best defines that word. If you get the answer right, you "donate" 20 grains of rice to the UN's World Food Program. The money for the rice comes from the banner ads that run at the bottom of the screen. There's no limit to how much you can play or donate, so I played until I donated 1000 grains of rice, then stopped.

I was pleasantly surprised by all the words I knew or could strategically figure out (It seems I got something out of that expensive SAT class after all). Given my government professor's heavily skeptical attitude toward the UN, I'm not sure if the rice is actually getting to those who need it most, but I'd like to think it is, and if nothing else, it's free practice for me.

So now, more on the life plan alteration: In place of class today, this professor held student conferences. Since I'm not having any grade issues, I figured he could give me some career advice, seeing as I've already established that I'm putting off grad school (hah, you'll see how well that holds up). Needless to say, after our conversation I walked out of his office debating whether I should apply to grad school (two more years of school), law school (three more years), or both (a whopping four more years of school). So much for standing by my decision.

I recounted the conversation to my roommates and told them how thoroughly confused I was. Everyone keeps telling me how great law school is and how it opens all sorts of doors. But I don't, nor have I ever really want to be a lawyer. Granted, and I know this sounds stupid, I don't really know what a lawyer actually does. I know I don't want to be a hard-core-always-in-the-courtroom-lawyer like the ones on T.V., but I also know that what's shown on T.V. is like 0.056 percent of what real lawyers do. But if everyone says I'd be good at law, well then shouldn't I just go for it? Who cares whether I actually want to do it. Thinking for yourself is so overrated anyways.

After expressing this frustration to the roomies, Vicki said from the way I was talking, it seems like I'd be happier pursuing the master's instead of the law degree, and that I shouldn't let what other people tell me get in the way of or completely change my decision.

Later on the phone with my parents, I told them I'd decided on grad school over law school. The reason? Because Vicki said that's what would make me happiest.

Oh dear - when am I going to make my own decisions?