5 Things I should've learned in Senior Year
by Angela V. Ignacion
(from here)
YOU’RE ABOUT TO CROSS the finish line! You came, you learned, and now that you’re a full-fledged senior, you’re ready to conquer life after school. Are you ready for it?
As someone who has graduated a few times too many, I still haven’t been able to answer “yes” to that question. I could’ve used my senior year to prepare for the next step, but I’d always find myself deciding (and doing) things at the last minute.
To help you save time, effort and brain cells, let me share some nifty nuggets of wisdom I wish I’d taken seriously before I graduated. And trust me, you’ll need these.
Underclassmen are valuable assets.
Back in college, I joined a couple of organizations in freshman year and met lots of great people. But because I chose to be a hermit and buried my nose in textbooks instead of attending meetings, I didn’t know any of the junior members by the time I reached fourth year. Little did I know, some of these people would become my friends and colleagues. They made life after college easier and more fun. Keep building your social network—it’ll help you in the long run! Who knows? Your future boss might turn out to be the timid freshman, who used to look up to you in high school.
No sweat, no get.
Rumor has it that some people get away with graduating with honors even without studying, or landing great jobs without having to lift a finger. Whether that’s true or not, you wouldn’t want to waste your time trying to find out. Work hard for what you want—be it to be a cum laude or an intern in a fashion magazine. Whether you get it or not, at least you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing you did your best.
The future waits for no one.
By now, you should have an idea what you want to do after you graduate—get a job, take up post-graduate studies, etc. But ask yourself, is it what you really want? In my pre-med years, I was the only one in my group who didn’t entertain thoughts of changing career paths. Naturally, my blockmates were shocked when they found out I didn’t enroll in med school with them after graduation. I thought, hey, why not take a break and see what else life has to offer first?
I took a job in a publishing company, and it was a great learning experience for me. But a whole year had passed before I finally decided to go back to school like I’d originally planned, and Medicine takes years and years of training. While I didn’t regret taking the time off, I certainly didn’t want to be old and grey by the time I get my MD.
The moral of the story? Use this year to think really hard about who and where you want to be for the rest of your life, because you’re not getting any younger. Check out your school’s job fairs to see if anything else interests you.
And while you’re at it, “fatten up” your portfolio or resumé; attend workshops, join new orgs, join contests. For potential employers, there’s nothing more enticing than a fresh graduate with lots of experience. Besides, every month you spend jobhunting after graduation is a month’s worth of salary you could have already earned had you done it earlier.
Procrastinating never did anyone good.
Let’s face it, cramming sucks. Before you know it, you have only a few days left to submit your college applications or prepare for your thesis defense. Even for self-professed “buzzer-beaters” like me, the amount of time you spend dillydallying isn’t worth the panic attack. And believe me, this cycle of doom and gloom will repeat itself until you’ve gone mad with despair.
Say hasta la vista to the ol’ mañana habit. Make sure you fix all your school requirements and clearance ahead of time. I know a few people who kept putting it off until they ended up not being able to march because of incomplete grades.
You also need to take care of SSS, NBI clearance, TIN and other things you need for employment. Ask your parents or older siblings to help you out.
It’s a small world after all… Not!
News flash, kids, there IS such a thing as “the real world,” and you’re one school year away from finding out what’s in it. Culture shock can be pretty overwhelming, if you don’t keep an open mind. You meet all kinds of people from all walks of life, and you suddenly realize the world you knew as a pampered adolescent seems very small. Just like that, your world stops revolving around getting high grades, or worrying what to wear.
For college seniors, people might tell you, “Congratulations, you’re nearly done!” but what it really means is, “Congratulations, you’re about to become unemployed!” Your parents might not readily admit it, but it’s a universal truth that their financial obligation stops once you graduate. After this, you’re supposed to be able to support yourself and live on your own.
These things might sound scary, but it really is a big world out there, with even bigger problems. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you can prepare for it.
Last hurrah or first step? I say both.
One of the downsides of being a senior is that you tend to think in “doomsday” terms, meaning, you treat this year as the last time you’ll ever get to do, see or experience this or that. Chin up, guys, it’s not the end of the world! Senior year is actually more of a transition period, a time to get ready for, and look forward to, the next chapter of your life.
So make your last year count. Study like you’ve never studied before. Party like you’ve never partied before. Broaden your horizons and explore your options. After that, the rest of the world awaits.
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