Preparing for Post-Graduation

The end of this semester is right around the corner, which means for December graduates things are starting to get real. Going from college to the “real world” is going to be a big jump, and although most of us are excited, it’s normal for there to be a healthy level of anxiety surrounding such a big milestone. If you’re prepping yourself for graduation and don’t know where to start, just keep on reading for some tips from upcoming graduates themselves.

Start applying to jobs early

The weeks before graduation is a great time to start looking for potential job opportunities. There are typically career fairs going on at universities near graduation, and it is a prime time for recruiters to look for freshly graduated hires. Remember that you are not the only student graduating, so the odds are that if you wait until after graduation to start applying, some of your fellow students may become your competition for a certain job opening. Taking the initiative to start your job search before graduation will give you a head start against other students, and you will certainly feel less stressed if you have a job secured for after graduation.

Don’t let senioritis take over

If there’s any time that senioritis will strike, it’s during the last few weeks before graduation—and trust us, it strikes hard. You’ve bought your cap and gown and have your graduation ceremony date set, so it almost feels like you’re already done with school. It’s certainly tempting to stop caring at this point in the semester, but this is when your assignments matter the most. Final projects and exams are usually worth the largest part of your grade, so giving up right at the end has the potential to drop your A down to a C. Just keep pushing through the last few weeks no matter how hard it is, and remember what you’re working towards!

Figure out a living arrangement

Whether you are living in student housing or commuting from home, you are probably going to look for a different living situation soon after graduating. This is an important consideration, since your future jobs will be dependent on the area you live in. Living somewhere temporary after graduation, like your parents house or an apartment with a short lease, can actually be beneficial because it does not keep you tied down to one location for too long. This means that your job search will not only be limited to your area, since you have the option to easily relocate, and it is also a great time to start saving up some money.

Relax!

At the end of the day, graduation is meant to be something you celebrate—not something you stress about. You’ve worked hard the past few years to make it to this point, so now is the moment where you can finally look back on all of those sleepless nights of studying, early mornings of lectures, and days where you wanted to drop out, and recognize that it was all worth it. By graduating college you’ve already made a big step that most people haven’t yet, so take a moment to relax and enjoy your accomplishment.