The Struggles Of A Graduating Senior

By Christina Putrov on April 13, 2014

So today I finished the last first week back of my undergrad career.  Pretty exciting, right?  Except for the part where I’m fretting over job hunting, grad school applications, and figuring out where (and with who) I’m going to live.

But then there are the days where I walk along the coast by my beautiful ocean-side university and feel so at ease.  I calmly think to myself that I’ll only get better with age and that the upcoming year is my time to shine.  I remind myself that I’ll still be living in the gorgeous city of Santa Barbara and maintaining my waitressing job for the time being.  It helps to remember that I’m not alone and that there a few thousand undergrads who are going through the same rough time as I am.

Graduation means saying goodbye to much of the familiarity and saying hello to new experiences.  The past three years of my life have consisted of living comfortably with friends, studying for exams, waiting tables and enjoying the good life.  But now … now it’s time to make moves.  Now is the time that I actually take all that I’ve learned and APPLY it.  I knew this day was coming; it never bothered me because it was a distant thought.  I had a gist of the plan I have post-graduation, but now it’s time for me to start filling in the blanks.

“After I graduate, I want to live in __________ with ____________ while working part-time at ____________ just to pay the bills while studying for the GRE that I’ll take during __________.  Then I’ll get a ‘big girl job’ at ___________ to gain some experience before I apply for graduate programs at _____________ and ultimately start my career as a(n) _____________.”

Oi.

And then come the distractions.  School, internships, assisting in research, friends, boyfriend, partying, working, job searches … the list goes on.  I’ve always been a confident young woman who believed in herself, but this is the first time in a while that I’m beginning to have some doubts.

Breathe, Christina, just breathe.  You’ve got this.  Now finish your homework, take a shot and forget about your worries … at least until tomorrow.

 

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