There's this vision of senior year that I'm sure we've all had at some point. Football games with friends, afternoons spent on the quad, and that unique sense of anticipation that can only be incurred by graduation—by the day you've been working towards ever since stepping on campus freshman year. By this point, you're expected to be ready to move on. To dive into the next phase of your life, well-prepared by the experiences of your undergraduate years.
But sometimes, you're not.
And although it's, admittedly, taken me a while to understand, I've learned that that's okay, and that I shouldn't measure my path against those taken by others. Everyone's journey and experiences are their own.
Comparison only serves to stifle your joy, the joy of your own accomplishments, if they differ even the slightest bit from others.
If there's anything I've learned over the past four years of my life, you truly do not know what's going to come next. I began at a small liberal arts college, only to end up at both a community college and a large university later. I've switched my major twice. I was supposed to graduate this past spring, but ended up taking an extra semester this fall. Even now, I still remain unsure of what I'll do after graduation. Plans change, people change, circumstances change. And you know what? There's nothing wrong with that.
So I offer my advice to those who are struggling to figure out what comes next.
To the freshmen: it's okay to be unsure of your path. Embrace that uncertainty, and let it guide you.
To the sophomores and juniors: it's okay to change your mind. Use what you've learned and recognize that your knowledge and your experiences are irreplaceable.
To the seniors and recent graduates: it's okay to not know what comes next. It's okay if your plans change, if your passions change, and if your next step still eludes you.
I've begun to see this one last, extra semester of my undergraduate degree as a gift. One that is allowing me the time to figure out what I'm going to do next. Although I was disheartened before at what I initially perceived as a setback, this time is precious, and I intend to make the best of it.
So although I may not know exactly what I'll be doing after graduation, my time in school has helped me realize that uncertainty lies around every corner. While it's okay to be scared or nervous about the unknown, shying away from it completely may only serve to set you back and limit your true potential. If you learn to embrace it, however, and welcome the possibilities that the future holds, you will thrive and prosper no matter where your journey takes you next.
Sheetal Tadiparty
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