Being a senior in college isn’t all it’s cracked up to be; yes, we’re going to be free in about 6 months. Yes, we’re about to start new chapters in our lives. Yes, some of us are about to be making money. And that’s exactly the problem: we have so much to look forward to that we feel stuck staying in school until May (December graduates, I envy you). Senioritis is real, and let me tell you, it isn’t easy to defeat. But with the proper mindset and mantras, I know we can push through till the very end.
Remember your end goal. It’s easy to get caught up in picturing your future, but you won’t get there unless you maintain your present. Meaning, you have to keep working on that GPA if you’re planning on going into any grad school. The last thing you want is a last-minute slip up that prevents you from graduating on time or, worse, graduating but not being able to attend the grad school of your dreams.
Keep yourself busy. If you’re one of the graduates who finds a job straight out of college- congrats! I know it must be hard to stay motivated when the future is all set for you. This is why you have to keep yourself busy so those tragic 9 hours of classes your last semester (because you’ve procrastinated on taking Intro to Dance) don’t kill you. Hunt for apartments, make a future budget schedule, craft, anything! Keep yourself busy so you’ve always got something to occupy your time so you don’t sink into a pit of boredom.
Take fun elective courses. I can’t be the only student whose really wanted to take a course or two that my major/minor didn’t require. Well, now is your chance! If you have 12 or less hours in your semester, you’ve got room to take those one or two classes you’ve always wanted to but couldn’t justify taking during your first years of college. So what if you’re a criminal justice major? Go take that theatre class and rock it! It’ll make your last year more fun, and time will fly by before you know it.
Enjoy your time. It’s all simple as that. College is a once in a lifetime experience, and the four years you’ve spent here will continue to shape the rest of your future. Sit in the Union and play pool between classes. Take a long walk from one end of campus to the other. Buy overpriced coffee in the library just once more. Because chances are, you’ll never come back to these buildings again. And if you do, you won’t be the same person. So enjoy your time and your friends and your professors while you still can. College is a wonderful, nerve-wracking, life-changing period in time- enjoy it!