backtoschool2014

I am academically-minded and love to do research. I really value the concept of going to grad school. Now, I know a lot of you will tell me that one shouldn't go to grad school without a clear intention, and I hear you. That's exactly why I am trying to work through my ideas before I actually apply! To explain further, I'm going to use bullet points, because I think that's the simplest way to address my points: I love, love, love doing research. I think I would be happy doing research for the rest of my life. I am still trying to decide if I want to be a professor, so the phd vs. masters debate is still salient and not resolved. My dream job is to work in a think tank, I think, but I don't hear of a lot of those that address the topics I'm really into! I know that I am most passionate about human behavior- namely, how people think, and how it drives their actions. My biggest interests within that realm are applications in cultural studies (e.g. cross cultural differences) and applications in consumer behavior. I know these topics can be approached from a lot of different angles, but can't figure out the right one for me. I've considered psychology vs. sociology vs. anthropology vs. a phd in marketing. Nothing has really clicked for me, and I'm just really not sure how to go about it. I've read through program curriculum sites, looked at professors' interests, looked at job placements. I'm just not really figuring it out. So what I'm curious is: were any of you equally unsure about what you wanted to study, when you started out the process? How did you narrow it down? Again, know some of you will tell me this is a backwards approach, and I respect your opinion, but respectfully disagree for my personal scenario. I believe a graduate degree would provide me with a stronger path toward a research-focused future. It's just that without a 100% concrete vision of what that future should look like... I don't know what path to take! Thanks in advance!