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A woman smiles in her graduation cap and gown.
A woman smiles in her graduation cap and gown.
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Pace | Life > Academics

How To Make Your Senior Year Successful And Memorable

Kaylah Hewitt Student Contributor, Pace University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Pace chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

As I am now starting my senior year of college, I know I am with everyone when I say that I have the senior year jitters and am freaking out about what the future holds after graduation. However, this summer, I have been preparing myself for this moment and I honestly feel more confident and ready to start senior year, even with my emotions all over the place. I want to share what I think is the best way to get ready for senior year. I hope that the advice I will be sharing will not only be used for future seniors, but for freshmen, sophomores, and juniors so that they can think ahead like I definitely did for my first day of college. Now, these are my personal thoughts and things I did to get ready for senior year. You don’t have to agree with me about everything I did. You can think about it, do exactly what I did, make it your own, or even add your own steps to make your senior year a great experience. 

  1. Shop for necessities and wants. 

First things first, you can’t go wrong with a shopping spree. In college, you may think you don’t need much because you only need a laptop most of the time. While that is true, there will be times when you might need other necessities like pencils, notebooks, highlighters, etc. In my personal experience, I use these utensils to rewrite my notes so I can gain a better memory of everything that I learn. Some professors also prefer to be “old-school” and may ask you to use pen and paper instead of technology for school work and tests. So, having extra school supplies can definitely help if, on the first day, a professor says “We are doing this class the old-fashioned way,” so you don’t  have to rush to buy school supplies. But, I’m not only talking about shopping for school supplies — in this scenario, I am also talking about buying wants. Now, I never dormed during my college years, but I know for sure that you will want to buy cute stuff if you dorm. But in my case, I bought stuff for my desk at home so that I can be more motivated to do my school work. Pencil holder, desk organizers, skincare products to relax while doing work, new wardrobe — buy whatever is going to make you feel like an academic weapon. 

  1. Search for an internship or job.

This is such an important part of college that not everyone realizes when they first start off. Having some kind of internship or job is a must. Internships are so important to gain more experience in the major that you have, so that you can better your chances of getting an amazing job once you graduate. Whether it’s joining a program, organization, or typical internship, as long as it works with what you want to do in your future, take those opportunities. And if you have time to juggle more than an internship, have a part-time job as well. It’s always nice to have extra income. I know the job market isn’t the best nowadays, but there are a lot of ways to make money. You just have to do the research and see what’s best for you. After this summer, I know for sure that I have a plan to make my own money. You can have an internship, job, or both, just remember that these things are so important, trust me.

  1. Join clubs at your university.

You have to enjoy your time in college and not just worry about school work all the time. One great way to do that is by joining clubs. Even if it’s just one club, it is important to be a part of your college community. You get to meet new people, explore your interests, and have fun. Not to mention, you can put the clubs and organizations that you are a part of on your resume and LinkedIn. The best options when it comes to clubs are one for fun, one of interest, and one based on your major. My major is business marketing, so I’m a part of the American Marketing Association. My interests have always been about business, so I joined Women in Lubin, and for fun, I actually chose Her Campus. However, Her Campus is now a mixture of interest and fun because I truly enjoy journalism now, and writing for Her Campus brings me joy. I now want to somehow work in the journalism field along with marketing. So, take it from me, joining clubs and organizations really can help you find your passions and what you would like to do in the future.

  1. Check your classes and graduation requirements.

If you want to graduate on time, be sure to check which classes you need to take, your credits, and make sure you know all of your graduation requirements. When registering for classes, it is great to see all the classes you would want to take for fun. However, we have to remember that there are classes that you are required to take based on your major. Don’t worry though, based on the major you pick, there are classes you definitely need to take, but there are also elective classes where you can pick whatever subject you would enjoy. Not to mention, there are open electives where you don’t have to take classes based on your major, so you can still enjoy your classes and gain all of the major requirements. Also, we cannot forget about the graduation requirements that everyone has. You should make an appointment with your advisor to ensure that you have all of your graduation requirements down so that there are no setbacks when it’s time to graduate. As we speak, I plan to see my advisor during the first week of school for at least 15 minutes to make sure I understand what to do when it comes to graduating.

  1. Use the resources provided by your school.

News flash for everyone who is a senior, this is our last year of school. So, now more than ever, we have to take advantage of all of the resources that are available to us. Once we graduate, we are limited. Sure, we can email previous professors for references or help in the future, go to career services if needed, or attend alumni events. But, we won’t have the opportunity to get free food, print stuff for free, access workshops and free tutoring, get free school supplies, and so much more. We have to take advantage of all these resources that are provided to us so we can be successful once we graduate. I never say no to any resources that are offered to me, so I suggest you do the same so that you can say in the future, “My university had a lot of great resources that helped me during my college years and prepared me for my future.”

  1. Network as much as you can.

It does not matter what major you declared, you have to put yourself out there. Go to workshops, networking events, talk to your professors, talk to your fellow classmates, do it all! If you think getting good grades is going to help you with job hunting, think again. Yes, getting good grades is very important, but jobs are not going to worry about that. Jobs want to know what skills, experience, and knowledge you have. And to show companies what kind of worker you are, you have to connect with the people that work at those companies so that they can potentially help you get the job of your dreams. Nowadays, it’s more than just having work experience, it’s about the people you know. So what’s the number one thing you have to do? Network. Network, Network, Network! There is no such thing as too much networking. The more you network, the better chance you have to get noticed.

  1. Go to events. 

Going to events is probably my favorite part of college, if I’m being completely honest. If you’re a commuter student like me who doesn’t know what to do during their breaks, go to an event. Want to forget about your classes and release the stress? Go to an event. There are so many events that happen throughout the week that you probably wouldn’t expect. Spa days, movie nights, arts & crafts, food trucks, parties, holiday events — you name it, that event can happen. I personally enjoy all of the events that Pace University has to offer and I’m really going to miss the events when I graduate. Even the events based on my major and other majors are really fun to me because you get to learn more about the things that might interest you and, as mentioned before, provide good networking opportunities. Plus, you get to possibly meet your new best friends at these events. So, to all my seniors, enjoy your last year of the events your school has and enjoy them while it lasts. 

  1. Have fun and create memories.

My final tip for all you seniors that are reading, please have fun and create good memories to look back on. One thing is for sure, college can get very stressful to the point where you might think, you have to do school work, internship work, and study 24/7. This was definitely me at one point in my college career. But I had to remind myself that grades do not define who you are, and you can still have a successful career. Of course, it’s important to make sure you do well in school, but that can’t always be in our minds. It’s okay to have a day off to relax, enjoy your time, and not have to worry about finishing an assignment. You have to enjoy your time in college because once we graduate, we’re going to be in the real world and working. So go out with your friends, have family time, go to a concert, have a picnic, go to the movies, have a shopping day, go on walks, read a book, have a lazy day, do whatever you want. As long as you’re enjoying your time, that’s creating valuable memories. 

I want to leave it at this: college isn’t forever. These are the moments where we find ourselves, learn about ourselves, and figure out what we want to do with our lives and careers. We have to succeed and have fun in college. Take it from me, I enjoyed my time in college and these tips are really helping me enjoy my senior year and get ready for my future. I hope these tips can help anyone who is worried about senior year. I hope everyone has the amazing senior year that they desire, you prepare well for your future, and enjoy your last moments of being in college.

Kaylah Hewitt

Pace '27

Kaylah Hewitt is a bubbly and active member of Her Campus at Pace University in New York City. She loves writing about movies, TV shows, big events, city life, lifestyle, and much more. She is planning to be a professional in the marketing world, be an entrepreneur, work in journalism, and be in the real estate industry. She hopes that her love of journalism and being a part of Her Campus will help her succeed in her future.

Kaylah is a Junior studying Business Marketing. She is originally from New York City. On campus, she works as a First-Generation Mentor for freshman students to help freshmen adjust to their college life as the first in their families to go to college. Along with her professional work, Kaylah has done two marketing internships learning all about how to market a business and company online to grow the target audiences. She is also very active with many different clubs and organizations within Pace including American Marketing Association, Advertising Club, and Women in Lubin.

Beyond Her Campus and school, she loves the color pink, enjoys listening to music, reading, hanging out with friends, going to Broadway shows, shopping, learning tips about lifestyles on YouTube, and watching movies. Her favorite Broadway show is Wicked and favorite movie at the moment is Sonic the Hedgehog 3. If you find her on campus, she’ll most likely be on the Lubin School of Business floor, going through her shopping lists that she won’t buy for a while, trying to see what Broadway show she is going to see next, watching or listening to something on YouTube, and talking about her latest latest movie obsession. Kaylah is also a big fan of fashion especially when it comes to being a loyal Adidas fan as you will most likely see her in an Adidas outfit most of the time. She is very excited to enjoy the rest of her college career and grow more in her knowledge of marketing and journalism.