Junior year has been exciting yet scary. Next semester will be the start of senior year with job searching and potentially grad school applications. This is all so daunting, but it is important to remember that my college experience is not quite over. For anyone out there who is now approaching their junior or senior year, please remember that your time is not yet up and there is still so much you can accomplish. There are many organizations on campus that can give you new experiences and connections that can freshen up your college experiences, maybe even make new friends. It is very important to try new things to keep college engaging, the same old routine can get boring after two or three years making college an extremely painful experience.
While trying new things is important, don’t forget to connect with your professors as well. At this point within your major, you are probably running into the same set of professors. Try to build a connection with them, most professors have their students’ best interests at heart. These professors can give you recommendations for scholarships or grad school, and overall are great resources for you. Most professors are also more likely to work with you on your grades if you interact with them more. Don’t forget, your professors are people too. While they do hold power over your grade, they are still people who would appreciate a student who checks in on them from time to time.
My last piece of advice is to start doing things in college to expand your resume. Senior year is the time to show the fruits of your labor to your future employers to start your career. Make yourself stand out by investing some time into it. Now, no one is saying you have to go all in and stress yourself out by throwing yourself at every opportunity. It is more important to take some time here and there to build your professional profile so you are not rushing to do it all at once during your senior year. Experience is incredibly valuable, but if you are not able to maintain an internship while you are studying it is perfectly okay. College is not cheap. It is much more important to do things at your pace so you can succeed academically. There will always be the summer sessions and winter sessions to devote your time to an internship. If you overwork yourself and derail your academic progress, it could take those opportunities away from you. Everyone’s college experience will not be the same and that’s perfectly fine. At the end of the day, your college experience is what you make of it.