Raise your hand if you cannot wait to just graduate and be done with your degree. I am almost done, but getting closer to graduation isn't as relieving as I thought it would be. There are so many things that happen before you graduate. Here are a few things that can be extremely stressful before, during, and after graduation:
1. When you are nearing your final semester:
As soon as you realize you're almost done with your degree, you have to meet up with your advisor and figure out if you've met all the requirements and if you need to take any more classes. This can be stressful as sometimes your advisor might tell you that you have to take a class that you didn't know you needed. To help with this, I suggest visiting your advisor twice each semester starting your freshman year to review what you have taken so far, and what you need to take still. It's always good to plan ahead.
2. When you've got all your classes figured out:
It's time to stay focused to keep your GPA up and maintain it. Just because you're graduating does not mean it's time to slack off and party. You're no freshman who came to college and partied all the time. If you fail your classes, you might not graduate on time and might have to end up retaking a few classes. This is not fun and just adds to your stress.
3. Applying for graduation:
This can be stressful, especially because you don't know what to expect in the application and there is no one to walk you through it. What stressed me out was the fact that I could not order more tickets. Every applicant had a limit of four tickets for guests to come to the commencement.
4. Commencement fair:
This is where you'll get your picture taken, so I have to stress about figuring out what to wear for this event. I also get to order my cap and gown! What a relief, I get to request more tickets if I need to at the commencement fair! I will also get complete information on what time the commencement will take place as well as other information on what to wear and where to park.
5. Now that the commencement fair is over, time to prepare for finals:
Finals come right before the commencement ceremony. There is so much studying to do as well as final projects to complete. I just can't wait for all this to end. At this point, everyone just wants school to end and we all get the least focused when it comes close to ending. But hey, FOCUS!!! You're almost done!
6. Day of commencement:
No matter what you've been through, it's always a relief to walk across the stage knowing that you've just finished a degree and you have opened so many doors to so many opportunities in this world. Of course, graduation day has its own stress. Do I look good? Is what I am wearing appropriate for the commencement? What if I fall or trip while I walk across the stage in front of hundreds of people? Just relax, take a deep breath and go for it! you've already conquered so much in college.
7. After the commencement:
This is the time to either look for jobs or to apply for grad school for your masters. You can go for MCAT or LSAT or GRE or whichever route you want to take for the future. Applying for jobs can be difficult. Attend career fair before you graduate at your University. Many companies will b there looking for someone to hire. Put on your best blazer and head on out. There's also websites such as indeed.com or monster.com. I also suggest keeping your LinkedIn account updated for possible job offers.
Whatever stress you may endure, just try and relax. It's not easy, but in the end, it is definitely worth it. In the end, it will be relieving to know that you are finally done with something and you have accomplished something. So, breath in, breath out.
