As I near the end of my days as a MoHo, I have been asked a countless number of times how I feel about graduating. My response is always, “it’s complicated.” The beginning of the end of my Mount Holyoke College experience calls forth a lot of mixed emotions- anxiety, excitement, liberation, uncertainty, capability, vulnerability, loneliness, curiosity, etc. Many times I find myself thinking of my post-grad life in term of a dichotomy, where it will either be really satisfying and awesome, or really dissatisfying and lame. Since my brain normally works in this way of categorization, the way that I have thought about my future after Mount Holyoke is usually broken down into something like this:
Pros!
1) An actual income– As a MoHo, I’ve had very little time to dedicate to being employed, whether it’s due to class, homework or activities commitments. On top of that, considering that jobs on campus are in high demand by students, I rarely can get more than a few hours worth of shifts with the jobs I do have. With the job I have lined up post-graduation, however, I will be getting pain a legit salary.
Courtesy of: www.sportsview.com and www.quentinmccall.com
2) Buying my own food and maintaining a somewhat healthy lifestyle via these food choices- While I feel that Mount Holyoke does great job with providing the student body with a range of food/dining options, I can’t be more excited to buy fruit that is actually ripe, or to cook fish or vegetables the way I like to have them cooked.
Courtesy of: www.healthyfoodp0rn.tumblr.com and www.savebiglivebetter.com
3) Decorating my own place the way I want to- All I have is a rainbow of colors, a plethora of furniture options, accompanying throw pillows and decorations galore to choose from. Sure beats the stark white walls and decrepit wooden furnishings of sadness.
Courtesy of: www.justinachen.blogspot.ca and www.memebase.cheezburger.com
4) Homework? What are homework?- Although there may be some days where my work is extended into the night or into the weekend, I won’t have to knowingly come home everyday after a long day’s work in the office to work some more in my room.
5) Wheels– If I want to go out for dinner, go to the mall, visit friends, pick up groceries, go into the city, go to the airport, or anything else that involves leaving my room, I’ll be able to do so on my own schedule. Sorry PVTA, but you just don’t cut it sometimes.
6) Having a consistent (sleep) schedule– Going to bed at a consistent time every night is foreign to many MoHos, and my body and my brain are really taking the heat for this inconsistency. Perhaps after graduating, I’ll be able to regain a sleeping pattern, and ensure that I can function throughout the day.
Cons!
1) Having to spend my actual income on EVERYTHING- In the words of Biggie Smalls, mo’ money, mo’ problems. Even though I’ll have a greater budget to work with, post-grad life will require me to spend my money on literally everything I want to do and/or buy, whether it’s buying the food that I eat or paying for a gym membership.
2) Making sure to settle down in the right place- Before I can even start my post-grad life, I’ll have to make sure that I’m in an area that I would like to be in, but also one that I can survive in. Ideally, the apartment I find will have to be close to work, but also within my budget and in a comfortable neighborhood. Ideally, the area I’m in will need to have a nearby gym, grocery store, convenience store, drugstore, as well as some restaurants, movie theaters, shopping centers and medical centers. But this is all, ultimately, the ideal, one which I may not actually find.
3) Working from 9-5 (or something like that)- Even though those one-hour breaks in between MHC classes are, for the most part, unproductive, they do provide you with a short, sweet break from the daily work drain. Once leaving college, though, I will unfortunately have to work for 8+ hours without a break (lunch break doesn’t count because, really, it’s just the “appropriate” time for you to do work while eating)
4) Having to find socializing opportunities in the real world- At MHC, you have the opportunity to socialize with people your age via classes, campus organizations, dining halls, and every now and then, a social event. You also have fairly easy access to most of what Hampshire, Amherst, Smith and UMass have to offer in terms of socializing. But in the post-grad world, you have to go out on your own and try and find these places yourself, which can be intimidating and take way more effort than you would like to use.
5) Driving– I’ve enjoyed not having to deal with idiot East Coast drivers for the past four years, and I dread the inevitable day that I’ll have to start. Also, paying for gas these days is the worst.
6) Being an adult with scary adult responsibilities- Oh let me count the ways: taxes, health insurance, car insurance, paying rent on time, finding my proper healthcare providers (dentists, doctors, dermatologists, etc.), paying for water/electricity/heating/etc. bills, managing all of my various financial accounts, all the while I’m not missing work, cooking my own meals, maintaining my health and taking care of the apartment. Essentially, adult tasks and issues I have to think about will replace all of my college-related ones.
Even as I write this, my feelings towards graduation are quite the jumbled mess. Any college student must go through this transition, and the uncertainty of everything is what makes this transition simultaneously thrilling and terrifying. Overwhelmed by all of these emotions, some of them even conflicting with one another, I’m starting to think that the best route for me to take at the end of the day, is to simply go with the flow that will be my post-MHC life.