Growing up, everyone around me said the senior years of high school and college were going to be some of the greatest times of my life. Graduating high school was great because the coursework was minimal and my friends and I were kicking ass in our social lives, sports, and eating healthy. We had some anxiety of moving away from home and being in a “big kid school,” but it was a new adventure in our academic career. We had the world at our fingertips and there was no stopping us from taking advantage of all of the privileges we were going to be offered. However, being a senior in college now is terrifying and definitely does not compare to my high school experience.
1. Excitement.
Most of us are really excited to graduate and begin our careers and start a life for ourselves. The next steps in our lives are settling down and thinking about starting families and rising up in our jobs. We’re hot young adults who have the latest education and are eager to bring our knowledge, talents, and perspective to our jobs. We are unstoppable.
2. Okay, I haven’t graduated yet and still need to do homework.
With spring semester underway senioritis is in full effect. The idea of writing papers and reading our textbooks is an afterthought to where we’re going out this weekend and our plans for spring break. Although I have a lighter class schedule, I still have to do the work, and oh yeah, show up to class. Especially now that I’m in the core classes for my major, it would be a good idea to get out of bed and stop watching Netflix, so I can learn about my future career.
3. Stop asking me what I’m doing after graduation.
I swear, if one more person asks me what my plans are for post graduation I will scream. I don’t have a plan, people. I have no clue what I’m doing after school and you reminding me I only have 3 more months to figure it out doesn’t help.
4. No really, what am I going to do?
Reality has now set in that you will have no career, no husband, no children, no money, no friends, and no home. So what do we do? We grab a pint of ice cream, lay in bed, watch Netflix, and cry because there is nothing else I can go.
5. F*ck it. Everything usually works out…right?
I’m in a constant battle with myself between having a weekly panic attack about graduating and banking on everything turning out alright in the end. I don’t know if “winging” life is the greatest option, but it sure beats crying and regretting every decision I have ever made.
6. Let’s think about the worst case scenario.
I could have a minimum wage job and live at home with my parents. This definitely isn’t the ideal situation, but as long as we have our health, friends, and family we will all be okay. Like mentioned before, most things usually work out in the end. With a few bumps in the road, we always land on our feet. Although we may not go down the career path we wanted or get our dream job, we’re still able to say we live great lives because we received a college education, which most people aren’t able to get. We’ve met amazing people and had great experiences along the way. We may have peaked in college or even earlier, but the lives we’re living right now are the stories we’re going to tell our children.
7. Okay, I’m excited again.
These are our final days of being a student and we shouldn’t waste it on tears and panic attacks. We need to make these final days count and make memories we can look back on forever. This is our time and we need to take advantage of it.
Although we don’t know what the future holds we are going to have a blast figuring it out. This unknown time in our lives is when we find ourselves and make a future. College seniors are always so full of hope and eagerness and we need to keep pushing that momentum to succeed in our careers.
Our ideas for what we want our future to be like is a blueprint and is guaranteed to change, so we might as well roll with it and enjoy the ride.
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