An Open Letter to the College Senior
www.myUVN.com University Visitors Network
Dear College Senior,
Can you believe how fast time has flown by? It seems like just yesterday you were starting college as a bright eyed freshman, moving into the dorms and attending your first college class. This year is going to fly by too, and before you know it you will be walking across that grand stage accepting your diploma in front of all your peers, friends and family. It will be quite the accomplishment and good for you! You will be ready to enter the real world and put all that you’ve learned to the test.
You may think that entering the real world and finding a job is the greatest thing. Maybe it will be, but you will quickly realize how much you miss your college days. So don’t rush. Before you end your college career, make sure to look back and reflect on your time here, and make the best of what little time you have left. I am talking about making memories that will stick with you forever. Finding your life-long friends. Doing something out of the ordinary, something that makes you uncomfortable or scared, something that makes you question everything you know. Take a class you never thought about taking or join a club that interests you. Talk to that cute co-ed you’ve been eyeing for the past three semesters. Create a college bucket list and make sure to check off all the boxes. This could very well be the last chance you get.
Tom Petty once said “You have four years to be irresponsible [in college], relax. Work is for people with jobs. You’ll never remember class time, but you’ll remember the time you wasted hanging out with your friends. So stay out late. Go out with your friends on a Tuesday when you have a paper due on a Wednesday. Spend money you don’t have. Drink ’til sunrise. The work never ends, but college does.”
Don’t get me wrong, you do still need to focus on your future a little bit. If you haven’t saved up any money yet you should start right now. Obviously don’t be so frugal that you miss out on fun things, but when you have some spare change or a few extra bucks laying around put them aside in your savings. You will be really grateful for this when you realize how hard it is to start making money. You should also find an internship stat. Experience is what will make or break you when you’re looking for a job. It doesn’t have to be something that takes up all your free time, because remember this last year is about making memories, but you need to have something on your resume.
Life after college is great, but definitely different. Remember all those late nights you spent partying or pulling all-nighters studying? Yeah, well don’t expect to have too many of those if you plan on finding a successful career, or just feeling good in general. It’s like your body and mind suddenly age 5 years immediately after graduation. You just can’t handle that lifestyle anymore and that’s okay. Your friends will no longer be down the hall or just a short walk away. You will actually have to make strategic plans to spend time with people, and a lot of the time things fall through. In college you may feel down and out if you miss a get together, but once you graduate you will appreciate the down time because you are always just so exhausted.
The moral of the story here is to take advantage of the time you have left as a college student. The truth of the matter is that not only will your life and lifestyle change, but you will change too. Make sure you graduate with no regrets and no questions of “what if?”
Sincerely,
College Graduate
This post was originally published on August 18 2015 on www.myUVN.com
