Wow, senior year! If you’re reading this and you’re a senior, congratulations you have made it! *Cue “Congratulations” by Post Malone in the background* If you’re not a senior, then I hope you do find my advice helpful when you do reach this shining milestone.
I knew going into senior year it would be a tough year with juggling classes, work, involvements, applying for internships/jobs/tests and thinking about what I wanted out of life post-grad. Do I still want to continue my education and apply to graduate school or do I want to take a year off and work? It’s all have been a dilemma. As I mentioned before I knew it would be tough, but now that it’s March and graduation is almost a month and less than 20 days away, I feel the pressure on me. This toughness is something you can’t imagine. The feeling is something you have to experience to feel the weight. As many seniors across Florida State University’s campuses, along with universities nationwide, get ready to graduate, here are some things to keep in mind:
Everything will be okay!
You’re stressed AF right now. I get it, so am I. But I know in the back of my mind that everything will be alright in the end. I don’t know how exactly but I’m confident it will. I get it. It’s scary to not know how life will look post-grad, but just know every struggle and victory is part of the bigger picture of your future.
Enjoy the ride
You can plan all you want. Every single detail to the T. But it’s not always going to work out in your favor. You didn’t think that during your senior year, a virus called COVID-19 would take over and throw everything off balance. No one saw this coming. If you believe in a higher being, then you know that there is a saying the people say that if you want to make God laugh, then tell Him your plans. There will be ups and downs, but enjoy the ride.
Live in the moment
As I get older, I appreciate living in the moment more. You can worry about the future and past as much as you want, but it won’t change anything. When you don’t live in the present, you are missing out on what’s happening around you. When you feel overwhelmed with everything and your mind is somewhere else, close your eyes and take a deep breath. Think positive thoughts. This will center you and make you be present. Remember that where you are right now, you were meant to be here.
Spend time with your favorite people
If you think about it, college is high school 2.0 but without your parents watching your every single move. Take your final college year to spend time with your friends and significant other as much as you can. You won’t have this opportunity in living in the same city as them once you graduate. After graduation everyone goes on to the next stage of their life. Whether that’s moving away for grad school or a job. But if your friends or significant other don’t move away and stay in Tallahassee, then their schedule will become different from yours and it might get hard to see them as you both get busy doing your own respective things. Go out and grab food with them, do fun activities or just simply stay in and listen to the new album release of your favorite musical artist.
Do everything!
If there’s something you yearn to do and haven’t done it yet, then go ahead and do it! Don’t think twice. Whether it’s an annual party that everyone shows out to, joining an organization or telling someone how you feel. Take the leap of faith and do it. There’s still time in living the college life you wanted. One thing I told myself is that when I graduate, I don’t want to look back with regrets and wish I would’ve done things differently. This is why I’m still going out and doing things I haven’t done before. Don’t let anything or anyone stop you. This is your final year so live it up. You won’t have this time back. Senior year is a beautiful time so enjoy it while you can.