“What are your plans after graduation?” said everyone ever to any given senior in college. The mere thought of my college years being almost over is more than enough to make me feel like I’m going to throw up. But seriously, the agita is real.
The Class of 2015 has been around the (c)block, we’ve drank far too much at Cannons, Fenwicks and River City. We’ve recently discovered that we really have no need for the senior walk at this point. The trips to VCP, Sal’s and McFaddens no longer faze us. We’ve had enough of “Are you going out tonight?” texts on Thursday nights—okay maybe that one doesn’t get old. You know you miss Bottomline and the real Dante’s Den.
While we all begin to find our niche outside of Manhattan College and in society, it’s hard to not completely relish in the final days of college and become victim to senioritis. It is surely the beginning of the end. However, this is the moment where we finally see what we can do out in “the real world.”
“I plan on going to law school, but I’m taking a year or two off before I go so I have to fix my resume and apply for jobs. I’m trying not to think about how fast the year is going. I’m just trying to enjoy it as much as I can,” senior accounting major Julia Mabey said.
It has been said that students who take gap years between undergraduate and graduate studies fare better. In an article entitled, “Especially for undergraduates: Reasons to Wait,” Idealist.org claims that clarifying your chosen field and getting experience strengthens your graduate school application and improves your financial situation, which are all important things to consider before making the final decision.
“The fact that I will have to handle my personal finances and pay off bills and loans every month is slowly becoming a reality. However, I personally believe these realities we will face in the post-grad life aren’t anything to be too stressed out about. Yes, it’s going to suck and we will be nostalgic for our college days but there’s always going to be something to look forward to,” senior Brianna Wisniewski, a psychology major, said. She is currently preparing to go to graduate school for occupational therapy.
Paying all the bills is definitely one of the most serious post-grad occurrences out there, nothing screams adult more than being financially stable or at least attempting to be. How can we all prepare for this shift from college kid to fully functioning adult? For some it’s meant internships, for others part-time jobs, for most a mix of the two plus clubs, honor societies, Greek life, volunteering experience and what ever else has a chance at looking nice on resume.
“I am currently interning at Deussen Global Communications where I am doing alcohol and spirits public relations work and I would like to go into the public relations field after graduation,” senior finance and marketing major, Kevin Sweeney said.
“I’m realizing that I’m going to have to go to work everyday for the rest of my life. I’m not getting a summer break anymore, or a spring break, or any breaks. It’s making me a little nervous, but I’m excited.”
As for me, well, I’m not too sure. When I was eight years old I was pretty set on becoming an attorney, but now that I’m older I’ve realized that I have no clue what I want to do with my life. I’m going to apply for any and all jobs that spark my interest, but I’m hoping it’ll all come together somehow and I’ll figure out what it is that I’m meant to do. As long as I have enough money to support myself and don’t want to rip my hair out everyday, I think I’ll be just fine. No matter how many jobs and internships I’ve had it’s still so hard to feel like I’m not jumping out of a plane with a parachute I packed for myself. I guess I’m just hoping I don’t hit the ground too hard.
To the few and the proud who have dared to graduate early, I am excited to see what you will do with a five month head start and am thoroughly impressed. You rock (at getting credits), don’t ever change (your major).