As the end of the school year is coming to a close, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with the stress of the upcoming year. I think it’s important to start taking some things into consideration. Often, the mayhem of finishing up last minute things can lead us to forget or overlook the important things we should be planning for next year.
I would recommend that the first thing to do is to take a minute to clear your head, and start writing down a few things to bear in mind as we enter our fourth year. Here’s a list of actions to take as upcoming Seniors:
- Check your Major progress report
- Verify your Major and/or Minor requirements and make sure you are on track to finish with the remainder of your classes on time.
- Having all your G.E.’s done on time is also crucial, and something that is often forgotten as we tend to focus on our majors and/or minors. Make sure that if you are missing any required classes, that you can fit them into your schedule.
- Something else that is often forgotten in favor of focusing on our major and/or minor requirements, is your unit requirements. Many times students complete all of their required classes and G.E.’s they forget to check that their overall units are completed or on their way to being completed. This can really set you back if you find that you are behind. You can find all of this here.
- Look into internships and programs
- Internships and programs will look good on job applications and will be very helpful in providing you experience for the career path you plan on taking.
- Study Abroad programs will also provide for a very good learning experience as well as a life experience; this is definitely something you want to consider before it’s too late. After all, we don’t know when we’ll be able to travel again once we graduate. Information on this can be found here.
- Start planning for post-college
- Go to Career Counseling and start looking into all possible job options you can pursue after we graduate, or the steps to take for the job that you are sure you are pursuing. You can find help for that here.
- Grad School; it might be a good idea to start deciding whether or not you want to go into Grad School after we graduate. If this is the case for you, you should review which Grad Schools have the best programs that fit your needs and desires.
I would like to once again remind whoever is reading this that you don’t have to start panicking. There is no rush to get all of this done at once. It’s important to face things calmly and one at a time; and do not be afraid to ask for help. Additionally, it’s okay to not know exactly what’s coming next. What matters most is to remember to enjoy your last year, while also staying organized.