Once you've left campus for the final time, it may not feel like something you'll miss later. Actually, it feels like the complete opposite; leaving campus after your graduation ceremony feels like a huge sigh of relief and a reason to celebrate! You'll never have to come back to campus, deal with parking, study for exams or give oral presentations again! At the time, it sounds like the best thing ever. I mean, you've worked so hard to get to this point in your life, so why would you ever want to go through all of that again? When you begin your final year of college, everyone is so proud of you for how far you've come, the adults in your life all tell you that you have so much to look forward to and all of your friends who won't be graduating are envious of your impending freedom. However, there are some things that people won't tell you about graduating college that you'll probably wish they would have.
1. You'll miss so much more than just your friends.
Most college graduates lived on campus at some point, and chances are, they all counted down the days until they could move into an off-campus apartment. Absolutely no one is going to miss walking all over campus during all types of weather, not being able to sleep because of noisy neighbors or eating dining hall food. Even after moving off campus, there are so many inconveniences! Seriously, how could anyone miss dealing with limited parking, forgetting things at home or secretly thinking, "Go ahead, hit me! I need my student loans paid off, anyway!" while crossing the street? After graduating, every single thing you dealt with, no matter how awful it seemed at the time, will make you miss college life. Sure, you don't have to pay for ridiculously expensive textbooks any more, but that's basically the only thing you won't miss. You'll miss your friends, obviously, but you'll miss campus events, the way campus looked on certain days, quiet walks to class in the rain, the days that the dining hall actually had decent food and so many more things that you took for granted.
2. Your life will lose all structure for a while.
Even though you probably had a few all-nighters and a "cancelled" class or two, the majority of your days at college were pretty structured. Classes, eating, sleeping and basic daily activities were pretty much crammed into a perfectly-planned schedule that would completely fall apart if a professor decided to lecture a bit over the allotted period. Now that there are none of those things to give you a reason not to stay up late and sleep for most of the day, you'll probably find yourself waking up quite late in the day and you might even have "breakfast" at 4:00 P.M. No big deal, right? Just stay up all night tonight, so you'll be tired the next night, or force yourself to sleep at a decent hour tonight! ...Good luck with that.
3. You probably won't instantly find a job in your field.
No matter how much your university career counselor reassures you or how many times the department chair of your program promises to find jobs for all of the graduates, you won't find a job that perfectly matches your degree. Sure, some people get extremely lucky and do find jobs right after graduation, but it's not something to bank on. Just get out there, see what you can find and hope for the best, right?
4. You'll probably start to doubt your choice of study because of this lack of available career options.
"There are SO many companies looking for [the complete opposite of your career choice]! Hmm... Maybe I should've majored in something else..." will probably be a thought that crosses your mind every time you try to find a job.
5. You'll eventually have an existential crisis. Or two. Or three.
"Do I REALLY want to work as a [whatever isn't hiring]? Maybe I've been lying to myself for my entire life, and I actually hate what I studied for four years... What else interests me? ...Oh God, who am I?!" will also probably be a thought that you have at some point after trying to find a job.
6. You'll realize you have to be an actual adult now.
No matter how independent you thought you were during college, you still probably called your parents, asked for help with basic errands and relied on some of the university services to get you through those four years. After you graduate, you'll still have friends and family, but having a degree makes everything feel so different. Everyone expects you to have everything together, and honestly, you'll probably want to live up to those expectations! However, that might mean doing "adult" things like setting up your own medical appointments, going grocery shopping alone, paying bills and running errands. Even if you did some of those things in college, it's just so different (and scary) now.
7. You'll lose contact with some of your college "friends."
Having friends in college makes everything so much easier; you have someone to talk to in class, help you with homework and, most importantly, someone to help you deal with all of the stress you're inevitably going through. However, after graduation, you'll find out that some of your "friends" weren't really the best, and now that you're going your separate ways, you may not hear from them any more. It's a bit depressing, and you'll probably be upset that the person you thought would be your best friend for life actually ended up only wanting you around for a short time, but you'll also learn who really cares about you enough to stick around after finals are over!
8. You'll want to go back.
Even if you never planned on getting more than a four-year degree, you'll start considering graduate school. You may not follow through, but you'll consider it just to experience it all again.
