As a graduating senior, I feel like everyone asks the same questions:
"What are you going to do when you graduate?"
"Have you started applying for jobs?"
"What job do you want to do with your life?"
"Where are you going to live?"
"What can you do with your major?"
Do you want to know what the answer is going to be from 90 percent of college seniors? "I don't know." It is the most uncomfortable question because whatever your answer is, someone is going to judge you. If you say you are going to get a job, someone will ask why you don't want to go to graduate school. If you say you are going to graduate school, someone will ask why you don't want to take a year off and gain experience.
There could be a solution to this annoying problem. If you know someone who is graduating, don't ask them. Let them bring it up on their own. It is a scary thought, because it is a scary world out there. Some people will truly want to talk about their after-undergraduate-school plans, but most people don't. Some people want to go home, curl up in a ball and lay on mommy's lap for a few days, and personally, I think that is OK. Others want to hide under a rock and never come out. Temporarily, that's OK too!
The truth is, a traditional college student graduates between 21 and 23 years old, and there is no reason they should have it all figured out. They have plenty of time to mess up, work a job they hate, find a job they love and anything else in between. So a few words of advice for those who know someone graduating. Let them bring it up on their own.
