By Hayden Cottrell | Reporter
For many students, senior year can be stressful. You must balance school with spending your final days with friends and starting to plan a life outside of college — not to mention, every conversation people have with you during this year involves what your life will look like once you graduate. Not immediately finding a job or getting into graduate school can really impact your mental health, but it shouldn’t.
It’s OK to take time to figure out what you want to do with your life. There are so many paths you can take that it really does take time to figure out which way is best. Stressing early on about what the future after graduation looks like will make you hate your senior year.
So, here are three ways to help you relax and plan your future in a way that doesn’t add to your stress.
1. If continuing your education is something that would benefit you, then take the time to research the admissions requirements for schools you are interested in, ace exams like the LSAT or the GRE and make your list of where to apply.
2. When applying to jobs, make sure to talk to the Career Center so you can get help with your resume and any other questions you may have. The interview process can take a long time for certain jobs, so getting help early in the process can really lessen your stress.
3. Gap years are also incredibly helpful. After going to school for so many years in a row, taking a gap year — even if it’s just for a few months — could really help you explore the world and know yourself better as an adult. Giving yourself some extra time to get to know yourself and the career you want to pursue could be beneficial.
While these are just a few tips to help with the post-graduation stress, remember that it’s OK to not know what the future looks like. It’s better to take the time to find what you enjoy and start a career in a healthy environment than to spend your final year stressed about how you don’t have a job lined up to start immediately after you graduate. Take time to enjoy your senior year, but also make sure to set your future self up for success.
