The Final Countdown: Tips for Avoiding Senior Burnout

With less than a month left of the academic year, the class of 2017 is getting ready to say goodbye to Tufts. However, I think I speak for many seniors when I say that some goodbyes were said long ago: goodbye motivation, goodbye work ethic, goodbye ability to focus. Senior burnout - also known as senioritis, also known as "exhaustion due to 4 years of intensive academic study - is a pretty common phenomenon for college seniors across the nation. In my first post of the year, I wrote about embracing your inner SWUG during senior year, and trying to lead a worry- and regret-free lifestyle for the last year of college. While that still holds true, there's a very fine line between living up senior year and jeopardizing your GPA or future job prospects. Now is not the time to lose motivation, especially if you don't have a job yet. Here are some tips I'm trying to live by to ensure that I stay on track until the very end.

Leslie Knope in the episode where she gets recalled is me during senior spring.

Keep your eyes on the prize. Right now, everything I do seems so insignificant. Why do I have to finish this problem set? Why do I need to write this paper? I have a job, nothing else matters! This may be true, and it's certainly okay to cut back a little bit on the stress of schoolwork, but I try to remind myself that the only reason I got a job was because of my commitment to my academics. If I let my GPA slip in the last few weeks of my college career, it could have long-term implications on both my career and grad school prospects. There's a light at the end of the tunnel, but I'll still have to work to get there.

Appreciate college while you can. There are times when I'm so over college - the erratic schedules, the constant workload hanging over your head, the STRESS - but there's a lot about the college lifestyle that is so unique, and that you'll never really get back. You're surrounded by people in your age group, who are all on similarly strange schedules that allow you to spend time with them throughout the week; you have (some) control over planning your schedule, and you can change it every few months; and you get to be immersed in an exciting and constantly changing academic institution that encourages you to think critically and actively about the world around you. I'm trying to embrace the full college experience, good and bad, before it ends.

Live a balanced life. With midterms weighing us all down, and finals looming in the not-too-distant future, we're all under a lot more stress than we'd like to be in our last weeks at Tufts. I'm trying to utilize all the time management skills that four years of college taught me to make sure that I'm staying physically, emotionally, and mentally healthy. Take lots of study breaks, try to do things that make you happy, and now that the weather is (finally) showing signs of spring, get outside and soak up some sun!

Find your people.  I have come to appreciate my friends so much in the past four years, but more than ever this past semester. In addition to being generally fantastic people, they're all experiencing what I am (at least, those who are seniors). Having people to talk about shared experiences is such an important part of getting through times when your motivation is low. And in the end, it's much easier to cross the finish line if you have someone to support you.

Alright, now that this menial task of writing a short blog post about myself is over, I'm going to take a quick 2-day nap. Keep up the energy as you head into finals, and to the class of 2017: we can do this. Look at how far we've already come.

Until next time,
Sean Boyden
Class of 2017

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Tufts University Musical 3: Senior Year

Welcome back to campus everyone! Summer has flown by once again, and I'm truly sad to see this one go. Between concerts and comedy shows, 4 AM wasp collections and 2 AM laughs with old friends, a trip to LA and a trip to NYC, and countless days of reading, sleeping, running, and beach-going, summer 2016 was one of the best of my life. With the bar set high, I'm planning on an unforgettable school year.

Me on Hollywood Boulevard, during a family vacation to Los Angeles in July. As you can see, I fit right in.

For some of us - myself included - it's our last time around the carousel, which feels surreal. It's hard to believe that this is my last year at Tufts, and in nine short months I'll be leaving the campus I've come to call home. At the same time, though, I'm craving new experiences in new places, and some days I can't wait until Commencement 2017.

These conflicting feelings, combined with a healthy dose of procrastinatory tendencies, are embodied by an acronym that I've come to embrace in the past few weeks: SWUG. If you ask the internet, 'SWUG' stands for 'Senior Washed-Up Girl' (or guy, or whatever noun you choose to identify with; if college has taught me anything, it is most certainly that gender is a social construct). Essentially, a SWUG is basically someone who's lost the motivation to be the typical high-achieving, high-energy college student that he or she was as an underlcassman; social outings lack the appeal they once held, and even the most basic homework seems impossible to complete. The days of being a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed freshman are far behind us, and now we pretty much just walk around the quad like zombies until the next time we can be home in bed again.

Our SWUG crew - we've come a long way since Hill Hall 2013.

But for me, the SWUG life doesn't mean washing up or losing drive. It means living in the moment, not caring about other people's expectations of you, and above all, doing what makes you happy. Whether it's joining the burlesque dance team or running through campus in a banana suit (both of which are items on my college bucket list), being a SWUG is about having the best senior year I can, before I leave an environment where society expects me to be ridiculous and irresponsible.

This summer, my friend Helen and I bought matching "Lettuce Be Friends" shirts and held a photoshoot throughout the Tufts campus. This is how SWUGs spend their free time.

Now, here comes the million-dollar question: how can we balance our in-the-moment, non-commital SWUG identities with the overriding need to have a plan after the caps are thrown? I'm not going to be unreasonable and suggest that you spontaneously critique your resume or change out of your sweatpants for a half-hour interview, but I do have a few ideas about what a SWUG can do in between naps and on-campus events that provide free food to start career planning:

Attend the Career Fair. Every year it seems to sneak up on us, but the Fall Career Fair is THIS FRIDAY, 11:30-2:30 in GANTCHER. There will be over 180 employers there looking specifically to recruit Tufts seniors for post-grad jobs. It's a few hours out of your Friday - you can do this. Even if you don't find the perfect job for you, attending the fair will give you an idea of what is out there, and what you can look for.

Explore your options. This goes hand in hand with attending the Career Fair. Before entering the workforce, you should try to inform yourself about the different paths you can take with your degree. This can be done simply by browsing the Internet, or by meeting with a Career Advisor. 

Me, looking for (a mind at) work. (I kind of got obsessed with Hamilton this summer. And I couldn't post a picture of LA and snub NYC, which in Angelica Schuyler's and my opinion is the greatest city in the world.)

Talk to people. Another great way to explore job opportunities is to put yourself out there and talk to professionals with careers that interest you. It can be anyone - your professor, your friend's mom, your mom's friend, your professor's mom... the list goes on.

Apply, apply, apply. One of my clearest memories from the college application process is something my best friend told me after her tour at a highly prestigious university. When she asked the tour guide what she could do to increase her chances of getting in, the tour guide responded, "Apply." This is true of the job search as well: by applying to as many positions as you can, you'll increase your chances of finding a great opportunity.

I know I just threw a lot of information at you, and for my fellow seniors currently reading this, it's okay to be completely overwhelmed (that's sort of how I feel all the time lately). But if you just start by doing one of these suggestions, you'll already be making progress towards your career goals,

It's going to be an amazing year, and before we know it, it's going to be over. Let's look out for each other, and make sure we all have a next step after we walk off the stage in May.

Until next time,
Sean Boyden
Class of 2017

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The Year-End: Reflecting Back, Looking Forward, & Running Away

How has another year already come and gone?

I've mentioned in past posts that I often identify with old people. Usually this is in comical reference to my knitting habit or love for naps and warm weather, but this sentiment has never been more true than at times like these, where I start to feel so, so old. In a year's time, I'll have to say goodbye to this blog, to the Career Center, and to Tufts - but how can this be true if I just got here yesterday?

Before Sarah McLaughlin starts playing in the background, I'll drop the sappy tone and replace it with an optimistic one. My final post last year was very much a "year in review" - I talked about the strides I'd made professionally and personally, the topics I'd covered in my blog posts, and so on. This time around, I think I'll look to the future instead of the past (TBD for next year's finale post - it'll probably just be lots of overemotional professions of love for the Career Center's fridge).

I'll start with my summer plans, which I know you've all been anxiously awaiting to hear. I'm thrilled to be working in the Starks Lab for the second summer in a row, this time as a fully-funded Tufts Summer Scholar. I'll be conducting a study that investigates paper wasps as cryptic vectors of disease in grapes - a project that has great biological, ecological, and economic importance. I'm so excited to be sticking around Tufts this summer, and to be pursuing my passion for scientific research. I'll also be preparing for, and hopefully taking, a certain four-letter standardized test that rhymes with shmem-cat; I'm less excited for that, but it'll be a great learning experience.

And now onto the big thing: senior year. It looms before me like a terrifying wave of emotions - from excitement to melancholy to nostalgia to complete confusion (the last one is basically my normal mental state at this point, so at least there's some familiar territory). I'm excited about a lot of things - reuniting with friends currently abroad, rounding out my time at Tufts, and making every moment count. But, with senior year comes the dreaded post-college planning. After years of blogging about it, it's time to put my money where my mouth is and figure out what I'm doing after the cap is thrown.

Don't worry - I have a few ideas. One route that I'm very seriously pursuing is time abroad, whether it's to earn a master's degree, teach English in another country, join up with the Peace Corps, or something I haven't even thought of yet. Everything is still in the very early planning stages, but going abroad is something I've always wanted to do, and not doing so while in college has come to be one of my biggest regrets. There will surely be more posts to follow on this subject!

I'm also considering my local options. One of the greatest parts about going to Tufts, in my opinion, is the easy access to Boston and all of its perks. For me, these perks include Boston's world-renowned medical-industrial complex, which boasts job after job for someone looking for experience in the sciences. While going abroad is definitely on my priority list, I'm also strongly considering working in the city for a year or two before transitioning into grad school. There are a lot of pros for this route: it'd definitely be a smoother transition into the post-college world, I'd be close to family and friends in the area, and it'll make applying to American graduate programs much easier (I'm not sure that I'm prepared to apply to med school from the other side of an ocean). I'd also be able to chip away at my student loans, and save up for the next crippling wave of debt once I start school again.

Overall, there's a lot to which I'm looking forward, and a lot from which I'd rather run. It's certainly been a roller-coaster ride so far, and as I lurch upwards in preparation for one final loop-de-loop, I'm feeling lots of things. For now, I'm excited to be staying on with the Career Center, again as both a blogger and a Career Fellow, and to be keeping you all updated on my trials, tribulations, and awkward social interactions for one more year. Stay tuned for posts, gifs, well-timed Friends references, and the gripping conclusion to a story now two years in the making.

Until next time,
Sean Boyden
Class of 2017

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A Letter to the Class of 2015

Dear Class of 2015,

We made it. After a few trips on the Struggle Bus, we've finally arrived at the end of our senior year at Tufts University. If you're like me, you probably thought everyone was exaggerating when they said it would go by so quickly. Looks like they were right to warn us. I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I'm a bit taken aback that this experience is almost over. Submitting my last exam was quite surreal... Now that Commencement is so close the sentimental feelings have quickly escalated.

Even as a writer, it's hard to find the words to describe what I'm feeling right now. Sadness? Fear? Excitement? Relief? Pride? A bit of each, probably. I can say that these past four years have been an important era in my life. They probably have been for you as well. Looking back, I'm sure you can't even count the ways you've changed and grown as a person. I hope that you can be proud in knowing that you have transformed into a better version of yourself, who is stronger and wiser than you have ever been. You deserve to feel accomplished.

"But I don't have a job yet, Kelly!!!", a purely hypothetical example of a panicked senior might exclaim in response.

They look exactly like this.
Source

First of all, hypothetical panicked senior, I want you to relax. Take a long, deep breath, okay? Everything will be alright. Not having a job by graduation is not the end of the world. In today's job market, finding a job at the drop of a hat isn't the easiest thing. Sometimes it's a matter of applying to the right job at the right time, and luck might play at least a small part. Your friends who do have jobs already are not somehow better than you, trust me. Don't feel like you're failing at some contest to see who can become employed first. You've already succeeded in so many other aspects at life! The diploma you're about to receive is proof.

Finding a job can be very stressful, but I encourage you to stay hopeful and continue your job search. Keep in mind that you never have to do it alone! The Career Center is here to help even after you graduate.

If this is you in a couple of months, the Career Center will not judge.
Source

Since this blog's foundation has been to share experiences and pass on advice, I will leave you with some bits of wisdom that I've managed to acquire over the past four years. Hopefully you can relate somehow. We'll start off with the biggest lesson I've learned in college. Time to get a little personal (not like I haven't already gone into TMI territory with this blog, let's be honest).

Before my junior year, I was doing a really bad job at treating myself with the same kindness I afford other people. I was --  and truthfully, still am -- my own biggest critic. I just didn't feel as successful as all the people around me. I fell into this deadly trap of constantly comparing myself, only to fall short of the ever-elusive perfection I sought. It took me a very long time to realize that perfection is not a destination that any person has ever arrived to. I learned, through a lot of struggle and reflection, that what I needed to focus on was steady improvement -- and not perfection.

I know from talking to peers that this challenge is one that many college/Tufts students face. Maybe you still feel this way from time to time, even as graduation looms. I definitely don't have a quick solution, as it's still a work in progress for me, but I believe that taking small steps can lead to big changes. I've become who I am now thanks to the little experiences I've had each day.

I'm choosing to look back at college as one really long transformation sequence.
Source (s/o to Sailor Moon fans)

Nowadays, I've dedicated myself to being my own biggest cheerleader. It's something that you can do, too! After all, you are the one who will always be there for yourself. Especially in this time of great change, it's important to value who you are. You've come such a long way since you arrived on campus. You are not who you were freshman year, and that's more than okay.

I also advise you all to take some time to reflect on these past four years. I know it's probably felt like an overwhelming whirlwind, but allow yourself to step back and re-examine. Beyond the loads of knowledge from the classroom, I'm sure that you've acquired skills that will stick with you for the rest of your life. Nurture those skills, and know that learning new things is not something that will end once you're handed a diploma.

Something that also won't end after graduation? Friendships. Sure, you might be moving away from a lot of the friends you've made here, but it's not like they'll disappear off the face of the Earth. We live in an age where you can talk to anyone at the tap of a button. Take advantage of that fact. We're digital natives after all, we shouldn't take our savvyness for granted. Keep those friendships alive, as I'm sure they've been meaningful. Skype dates galore!

Finally, I want to sincerely thank you all for reading my posts and joining me on the adventure that has been senior year at Tufts. I've learned a lot in terms of career development, but I've also improved in so many other ways.  Each day I try to become a little better than I was the day before, and I encourage you all to try and do the same. <3

Now, go and celebrate! We all deserve it.

Source

Signing off (and into post-grad life),

Kelly F. Vieira
Class of 2015

P.S. If you find yourself now invested in my life story (who knows), you can keep up with me on Twitter @Kelly_F_Vieira. Hopefully I'll remember to use it.

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The Beginning of the End

Hello fine readers!

Welcome back to Tufts. I hope your Spring semester is off to a wonderful start! If you're a second-semester senior like I am, ideally you aren't panicking too much. If you are, at least find some solace in the fact that I'm right there with you. A week in and I'm already stressed. In fact, I honestly started stressing about coming back to Tufts by the mid-point of Spring Break. Sigh.

Sailor Moon knows the struggle.
Source

Panic aside, it's hard for me to believe that this is my last semester at Tufts. Time has gone by more quickly than I ever imagined it would. Honestly, I haven't quite accepted that this amazing era in my life is soon coming to a close. In fear of getting too sentimental, I'll leave my wistful reminiscing for a later post. What I'll say now is that I'm excited to see what Senior Spring has in store for me, even if I'm starting to miss Tufts already.

Get it together, Kelly! It's still January.
Source

As a reintroduction to my blogging adventure, I'll give you all a sneak peek at some of the topics I plan to cover. I'll also go ahead and share a few of the goals (career development and otherwise) that I've made for the next few months. Get excited, tell your friends!

FOLLOW ALONG FOR POSTS ON:

• Finding gap year opportunities
• Stress relief tips
• Dressing for success
• Excel and organization tips
• Introversion vs Extroversion + Networking
• Senior perspectives on the job search
• Interview do's and don'ts

...and a whole lot more!

Just imagine me doing this the entire semester.
Source

This semester will be the last time I'm in school for a while, so I want to take advantage of the academic environment while I still can. This semester I plan to attend more events that will further my career development. I also hope to make networking connections, keep in regular contact with those connections, and work towards building a solid foundation for my post-grad life.

In addition, I'll be applying to jobs and I (really really) hope that I'll have the opportunity to work for a great organization after I graduate. By May, I at least want to feel like I've taken steps to prepare myself for the so-called "real world" -- if that's even possible.

Perhaps more important than all of that, I aspire to truly live in the moment this semester. The job search can cause a lot of stress, but it's so important to take care of yourself and actually enjoy your time. Don't stress away your last semester ever (or any semester, if you're not a senior!). Be organized and do what you need to do, but don't forget to treat yourself kindly and just relax. You've gone this far. You should be proud -- you deserve it!

Signing off,

Kelly F. Vieira

Class of 2015

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Why do I have to be professional?

Real adults are adamant about teaching us Millennials what it means and how to be "professional"--After all, we do have a bad rep...

Uh, I think that last link says "professionalism-dead"

It all seems to go in one ear and out the other... "Don't do ___, or else!"; "This is how you should ___."; "If you ___, you'll definitely be fired." These caveats can be disheartening and might make you want to do more yoga instead of doing your homework... OR act like this:

"Why do we have to be professional? Can't we just be ourselves? Be human? Aren't companies chiller than they used to be? Don't people wear jeans to work, play ping pong all day, and drink out of beer-fridges? Doesn't my Tufts degree give me the freedom to run rampantly through the job market (NQR-style), expressing my individuality?"

Well, friends and colleagues, I, Nirvanna Lildharrie, your Tufts Career Center Student Ambassador, am here to tell you, the answers to your questions are: No, not really...

Professionalism is important. And it doesn't mean that you have to be a slave to the system or a robot in an Armani suit... 

(#productplacement #notreally #buttheyshouldpayus)

All professionalism really entails is: Creating a positive reputation for yourself in the work world.
To be "professional" means:  You have a purpose, are important, and are serious about what you do.
Being professional is good because: 

1. It'll make you feel good about yourself and boost your confidence which will make you more likable (which are essential needs in all humans, says Social Psychology)!

Who knew avoiding social stigma could get you hired?!

2. You'll have your work life organized and attract clients, increasing your success! 

And 3. Making "professionalism" a part of your demeanor is super HOT to future employers!

#hiredjumbos

True Story: 

I booked a gig at a Providence Bruins game as the Business Manager of Shir Appeal, and I was communicating with their Director of Ticket Sales throughout the whole process--roughly since November. His thick dialect always announced his first and last name and position over the phone--the media via which he insisted on communicating. Whenever he called, he always left a message letting me know what he was calling about. The entire time, I envisioned that I was speaking with a forty-something year old man-- And I took him so seriously: I was careful not to be late on deadlines, return all of his calls. I tried really hard to impress him because I wanted him to take me and my organization seriously. Then last weekend, I finally met the voice from our phone calls in person, and, surprise-surprise: He was our age! Literally graduated last year! 

It was wonderful doing business with this man. His professionalism is really what made everything so easy. He took himself and his job seriously, which enabled me to do the same.

To Conclude:
In this fine age of the "hipster," it's difficult not to be ironic, even about yourself. But there is so much value in behaving like an adult. At Tufts, we are leaders among leaders, and it's easy to get lost in the mix. After we cross our graduation stage, it will really be our professionalism, our confidence in our competence, that will activate our leadership in the adult world.

Use your best discretion and build a unique version of professionalism for yourself.

How can you do this?

Stay tuned for my next article on Personal Branding!

Best regards,

Until next time,

Nirvanna

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The Gap Year Experience: Exploring Post-Grad Opportunities

The phrase "gap year" usually brings to mind some of your peers who took time off to travel the world, cross the country, and/or do some community service after high school and before college. Or maybe it reminds you of your friend of a friend who just needed a break from University and decided to take a year to himself...

Nowadays, the term "gap year" can be used to describe a new and exciting phenomenon: Students today are taking anywhere from a few weeks to a few years off after college to work in short-term jobs, internships, or community service programs.

And there are many reasons why that might be... Maybe some worked hard in college, and now want the opportunity to explore and figure out what they truly want. Other people are looking to work for a year before grad school or med school or law school. And for some people, this time serves to gain work experience or give back to the community and/or the world... And maybe even make a few new friends along the way:

"Us Jumbos gotta stick together!"

Career gurus all around are calling this new trend the "Gap Year Experience."

Here is a very defined definition given on Spotlight on Careers (username: spotlightpass and password: liberalarts2017): A gap year experience is a purposeful full-time volunteer or paid opportunity to explore or gain life and/or work experience in a field before going into a full-time job, graduate, or professional program. A gap experience is not an excuse to do nothing, instead, this time should be spent intentionally exploring and preparing for what comes after.

Some gap experience programs that you might have already heard of include Teach for America, the Peace Corps, and teaching English abroad. This phenomenon has been going on for years, but recently the trend has sky-rocketed into oblivion as a new and cool thing to do.

These days, a gap experience can literally be anything you want it to be-- It can be a way to save money, a way to volunteer your time, an excuse to travel, move to another place, or stay home. You can have it in a box; you can have it with a fox! You can use it to chase your passions and master a trade you already know and love... Or learn something new and potentially discover new passions!

It's always good to try something new...

The real question is: Is a gap year experience a good career move?

We think so!

Gap Year Experiences give graduates an opportunity to learn more about themselves, their careers, and the world so that they can continue on their career paths to success. Whether or not a graduate had an opportunity to go abroad during their undergrad years, having a gap experience could be a great opportunity to travel to a new country and even learn a different language. And many times, your gap experience will make it clear as to whether or not you should pursue additional education, and if so, what type of additional education you should pursue!

The trick to having a successful gap experience is to have one deliberately. "Whatever you do, do it intentionally," says Spotlight on Careers. However you choose to spend your gap experience, be conscious of what you plan on giving and taking from it.

So where do you start? How can you find an organization that offers short-term work opportunities like fellowships, internships, and volunteer opportunities?

More resources are available to you on the Tufts Career Center website under Fellowships and Gap Year.

But we hope you can make it!

Best regards,
Until next time,
Nirvanna

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A Senior's Farewell

So, I guess it’s that time. Finals are in full-swing. We’re attempting to study, but really we’re trying to make sure we complete our bucket lists and simply enjoy ourselves before we head home. Or graduate, when it comes to us seniors. (Insert sad face here).

I thought I’d write one more blog post before I leave Tufts to say a final goodbye. “Final words” have always intimidated me, and to be honest, I don’t quite have anything particularly profound to say. I’m not sure anything really could be said. I knew senior year would whiz by extremely fast, so I’m not exactly surprised that I’m already planning my final weekends and talking commencement and graduation gowns. But truth be told, I haven’t yet been overwhelmed by the apocalyptic feeling that my carefree youth is ending. Maybe it just hasn’t hit me yet and I’ll be a bawling, inconsolable mess in no time. Or maybe there’s a part of me that’s ready to move on----to explore new cities, work on real-world projects, and be refreshingly anonymous for a change.

Of course, when people ask how I feel about graduating (a.k.a. absolutely everyone), I can’t exactly answer them in a direct, sensible fashion. My answer always transforms into some senseless garble filled with ehhhs and sortas, leading my questioners to reply with vigorous affirmations about how I’m just gonna love the career world. Sure, I have visions of myself reveling in the delights of “real-life” ( largely thanks to Sex and the City), but I’m aware that it’s not one big cocktail party. When I ask graduates to compare career-life to college (praying they’ll say it’s just plain awesome), I get the same answer: it’s not better or worse, but different. No more sleeping away your 9:00 am class or showing up to your 10:30 in sweats. No more 2-hour lunches and long gaps of free time. At the same point, there’s no traditional “homework” (aside from leftover work) and weekends are blissfully free. And there’s the gratification of working toward more than a passing grade; your contributions make a real impact.

I’m lucky enough to have some sense of what life will look like next year. I’ll be working at a public affairs firm in NYC, hopefully living in a cozy apartment with a roommate from high-school. If things go according to plan, I’ll hopefully have a nice circle of friends, a decent relationship with my landlord, and some sense of how to navigate NYC subways. But even with some sort of “plan”, things still look fuzzy. I can’t picture what my life will be like until I’m in it full-swing, and even then I’ll probably be too overwhelmed by the newness of it all to fully reconcile it.

Come the sad notes of graduation music, chances are it will hit me, big time, and I’ll probably be a big huge mess when it does. Even now part of me feels obliged to run up to underclassman and beg them to appreciate it. (Preliminary words of advice: sleep late, steal all the food you can from Dewick, and snag the biggest off-campus room you can find). But given all the emotion and the trauma, we will inevitably find our niche and adjust. Even if right now the thought of becoming a real-person feels hilariously impossible. Someone once reassured me that once we get used to the fact that we’ve graduated, the real-world feels natural and plain right, as if this is what we’re “supposed” to be doing. The advice was vague, but I remember it feeling refreshing at the time, and I thought I’d pass it along.

In all my on-and-off-again panic, the most important advice I have is to be honest with yourself. We’ve had four years to explore and discover our skills and interests and goals, and now it’s time to go after them. We’re too good to abandon our idealist college ambitions simply because it comes with a challenging road. In the same vein, don’t expect it to be easy. There will be stresses and frustrations that are totally new to us, and we should be prepared to take them in stride. These are the moments that we’ll be laughing about some years down the line, when everything finally starts to make some sense.

And it will happen. I’ve had many friends promise that college wasn’t the best four years of their life, but that (gasp) it keeps getting better from here. So, fellow seniors/soon-to-be alums: let’s assume that we’re at the beginning of something great.

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