Things You’ll Miss After You Graduate
By Melissa
Four years have gone by tremendously fast and soon I’ll be released into the “adult” world as a new graduate. As anyone nearing the end of their degree (or who has already come to the end of their degree) knows, there are many parts of your student life that will disappear once you cross the stage.
These are the things that I’ve started to realize I’m really going to miss when I graduate:
1. The Routine
As a student, you know what to do when — whether that’s when to plan your course schedule, when to buy your books, when you’ll be in class, or when you’ll get to take a break — our year has a natural routine built into it. I’ll miss knowing what to expect throughout the year.
2. Self Scheduling
I’ve had the privilege of having a lot of flexibility when choosing courses and building my class schedule. Whether I get a 9 to 5 job or not, I won’t be able to schedule my time solely around what and when I want to do things anymore.
3. Student Events
Campus always has a million things going on — it’s easy to randomly discover something new to see or try. I’ll miss the ability to check out free student events in my spare time.
4. Student Discounts
Student discounts are (sadly) only for students! Graduating means paying full price for things like pizza (sigh).
5. Being Near Friends
Yes, student life can be hectic, but running into friends on campus and understanding each other’s struggles is one of the best parts of university — we all mutually support each other. Yet, after graduation, everyone goes their own way. Some people will move, others may just disappear from your radar — I’ll miss the people I’ve gotten close to while I’ve been in university.
6. Student Groups
I’ve always loved participating in student groups — from planning events to just hanging out with people who are dedicated to the same interests as me. Student groups create an instant sense of belonging. There are still plenty of clubs available to join outside of university, but I’ll miss how easy it was to find and join the ones here.
7. Breaks!
As a student, you always know when you’re going to get time off — whether it be reading weeks, winter break, or those four glorious months off during the summer. After graduation, you’ll be responsible for figuring out the optimal time to take time off, and you’ll have to more actively coordinate it with your family and/or friends if you want to spend time with them.
8. The Excitement
Once graduated, there’s (obviously) no reason to be excited about graduating anymore. Unless you pursue a master’s program or other academic work, graduating usually signals the start to your career and/or a pivotal moment for decision making — meaning that the anticipation and the work you’ve done over the last four or more years is suddenly finished. It will be bittersweet — both the excitement of finishing will be gone but at the same time so many new adventures await.
9. Being Asked About University
From the time you start university until the moment you write your last exam, the whole world seems to know you’re a student. Depending on your situation, you may have spent the last years answering the same people when they ask questions like: What’s your major again? How’s school going? What are you going to do with your degree? Graduating means people will be asking you about your career and finding work or grad school, which will likely be more difficult to answer than questions about your major.
