Senior year feels like adulthood’s waiting room. You have one foot in and one foot out of the door. This isn’t a bad thing. Sometimes transitional moments can be the most freeing. Senior year is a time to commit to college one last time and simultaneously conduct a “spring cleaning” on the last three years. It’s an opportunity to take the good with you and leave the bad behind.
With that being said, here is a hodgepodge of senior year goals that balance present and future needs.
Overhaul your wardrobe
I don’t know about you, but I showed up to college with the most chaotic wardrobe, and after years of buying for college events, it’s only gotten weirder. My closet feels like a memory box of high school and college, but now I desperately need something new. I’m looking to trade sweats and going-out-tops for something a bit older… and honestly, a bit more me.
College is an incredible time of growth. I look at my freshman year self the way I would look at a Lululemon-wearing stranger. (I still love Lululemon, though.) And, while it’s scary from a financial standpoint, it is super freeing to get rid of clothes. Sell or donate old fits that no longer make you feel like yourself.
Go to every game
At what other point in your life will you have free season tickets to every sport under the sun? Never. Go to every game! Games are weirdly a great place to hang out with friends and meet new ones. There is nothing like bonding over a shared love (or hatred) for a team.
Update Your email… Professionally
Okay, so apparently emails are important. Who knew? Part of my preparation for law school was updating my personal email to include a professional picture of myself and a professional send-off. I guess my professionalism used to only extend to my school work. Now I am realizing that I must mask as the professional… scary.
This goes for every account you have, really. Make sure your LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook pages are clean for any potential hiring party. I have heard sad, but kind of funny, anecdotes from employers who have found disastrous online presences following good interviews, and it does affect candidates’ chances at times. It’s already hard enough to find a job, so don’t hold yourself back.
Talk to your professors
I have long been scared to talk to my professors. What do you say to adults??? But I recently realized that I (shockingly) am an adult, and so I should just give up this childhood fear and get to know them. Don’t get me wrong, it’s never super easy to get to know anyone, but professors are truly the best part of a college education. A good professor is an irreplaceable mentor, guide, and friend. I can only say I wish I had gotten to know more of my professors sooner.
Abuse your freedom
While you may be broke in college, the one thing I assume you do have is freedom — freedom to stay up till 3 a.m.; freedom to hang out with best friends on a random Tuesday night; and freedom to use time in self-serving, silly ways. There’s a good chance that your future will be responsibility-laden and busy. Soak in the fact that you are in your 20s and standing on the brink of life.