I rarely read full threads anymore as a lot of what is posted here is to add to post count, funny but not very useful. This is a very important question and I hope some of this helps.

I strongly encourage university when the question is asked generically. University is a different environment than high school IF taken seriously. No mom’s to wake you up and remind you about class, no monitor to recommend less partying, and rarely is the professor, or grad student, in charge of the basics going to care if you sink or swim. University teaches you to really learn on your own, it opens your eyes to a broader world, and it introduces you to people that will enrich your life forever.

I did well in high school, but I was in a hurry to get it over with so I could race cars, earn some real money, chase girls seriously, and drink some beer. And I got by with it in high school, not in college. Take the basic requirements the first two or three semesters and apply your self in every class, like it or not, you should start to get a feel for what you like by the end of that third semester. Sit down with an academic advisor and plan from there. As an aside, I am going to my advisors retirement party in February; we have remained friends since college.

I KNEW I was going to be a vet when I started, but I fell in love with the study of economics. I have a BS in Econ, Animal Science minor. I don't use the animal science, but I use my education every day.

The trade school, or college, has its place. And this world would be better off if we recognized it. Somewhere in the last 50 years we decided that working with your hands is bad or inferior. Wrong! If you prefer working with your hands, go to a trade school. The happiest people I deal with are trade contractors. The most successful people I deal with are GOOD trade contractors, painters, electricians, plumbers. They set their own schedules, set their own compensation, work as much or as little as they choose. But to be successful requires a commitment to be good, and to under promise and over deliver your service. Don’t take up the trades just because it’s available.

Yes this is long, but it was asked as a sincere question and I hope you found a pearl here you can use. Here’s another. As an employer, I will hire a B student with an internship or other extra curricular activities over an A student and no outside interests. And I am hiring now, but that's another thread.

David