The last day of classes is only a few days away, and graduation is very soon after that. For many seniors, this fact may bring fear to their hearts. This is a common feeling though, but there are tasks and things you can do to help feel more prepared for graduation and life afterward.
The most important thing to do is to have a plan. It does not have to be set in stone, but you need to have the framework of what you want to do after school ends.
It starts with an idea, take time to sit down and think about what you enjoy doing, and if you can make a career out of it. You might decide you want to go back to school. You might realize you want to stay in Natchitoches for a little while longer. You may have trouble deciding what you want to do as a career, so you are staying in your college job for a little longer. And that is all okay, but it is time for you to decide that. For me, I decided that the best plan was to take a gap year before applying to Law Schools. I have been in school non-stop since Pre-Kindergarten, and I want to use that time to explore the world while not being a student. I want to work and save up money for the move. I want to grow and mature before deciding on where I am going to live for three years, and possibly the rest of my life.
I do not feel like I am ready to pick a law school now, and that is why I made a plan. Last-minute decisions usually do not end well, and I do not want to make the wrong one because I felt compelled to.
Do not feel like the world is rushing you. You are making life-changing decisions, and you might not feel ready to do that at 22 years old. I know that I do not. Many other seniors feel this way.
Do not let the rush to graduate stop you from enjoying your last few weeks of college. When you are thinking about skipping your 9 a.m. class because ‘it’s your last semester’ and ‘it won’t matter,’ remember that one day you will have your last class. You will walk up the stairs in John S. Kyser Hall one last time. You will probably never get stuck behind a golf cart on your way to class ever again. And that may excite you, but you do not want to regret not taking in the moments while they were happening.
A new chapter of your life is about to begin. You can be nervous and frightful about what is to come, or you can be excited to experience brand new things. Every birthday is exciting because you are becoming an age that you have never been, graduation should be celebrated just the same.
There is a moment in the movie “Night at the Museum” that I think of often and have started to use as a personal belief when I become anxious of the future. A character says to Robin Williams, “I have no idea what I’m going to do tomorrow,” and Robin replies “How exciting!” (I recommend watching this movie, or at least this scene!)
Why choose to worry, when you can be open to all the new adventures that are coming your way? Most people only get one chance at college, and I hear many adults saying that it went by too fast, and that they wish they could go back for a day. These people are rooting for you. Your teachers and peers are rooting for you to be successful and have a career that you love. The most important part is to root for yourself, otherwise you will never achieve your fullest potential.
