Graduating is a special occasion in every college senior's life. The stress that has accumulated over the past 4-5 years is finally over. Many seniors get to graduate with friends and classmates that they've met and befriended through their academic trials, and they are able to celebrate with their companions as they cross the boundaries into the "adult world." However, this is also an extremely confusing time for many, as once they cross the stage and receive their diploma, the question is internally asked, "Well, what do I do now?" This is a quick list of 5 things that can help recent or soon-to-be graduating seniors get a little step ahead of the curve once the stage is crossed, coming from another recent graduate.
1. ESTABLISH A SCHEDULE
While the first thing many seniors will want to do is go into a slight coma from exhaustion, that only is really useful for the first two weeks of post-grad life. After those first two weeks, it can become a spiral of wasted time and potential. You need to realize that for many years, we've lived with a VERY SPECIFIC format of when we needed to wake up when we needed to be productive, and when we needed to sleep. So while it's perfectly fine to have an unscheduled mini-vacation for a few weeks, graduates NEED to reestablish some kind of schedule once it's over. Make a Monday-Friday wake-up time, and establish a breakfast, lunch, dinner, and bedtime. Your weekends can still be free reign, but your normal week NEEDS to at least have some kind of frame so you can reach your maximum productivity.
2. DIET AND EXERCISE
Many college students have gotten so used to the college diet of caffeine, ramen, and 3 a.m. waffle house that there is an extremely high chance that, upon graduation, they may have gotten a slight bit heavier than when they began school. Post-grad life is the best beginning to reclaim a former figure. Many grads tend to move back home, where they have access to fresher foods or more of a variety. From there, grads can change their diets and begin to work on an exercise plan. I recommend focusing on cardio first and foremost, and then seeing what you'd like to do from there. Establishing specific days and workout times throughout the week are a wonderful idea for post-grads trying to lose the Freshman Fifteen Plus.
3. BINGE-WATCH
Completely contrasting the previous idea, the first few weeks of post-grad life are also a great time to catch up on programs that you may have missed or fallen behind on. Take a few weeks to work out while binge watching (treadmill and Netflix on your phone or tablet works wonderfully). You'll be caught up in no time!
4. CATCH UP ON SOCIAL ACTIVITIES
Conflicting schedules and increasingly difficult workloads can keep many grads away from social activities during their final run through college. Thankfully, large amounts of free time await once the graduation stage is crossed. Take a few chances to reconnect with friends that have been burdened by academia, or catch up with old friends to celebrate your ascension from college life.
5. APPLY FOR ALL THE JOBS
This one is probably THE MOST IMPORTANT THING on this entire list. Heck, it should even be started BEFORE YOU GRADUATE. Soon-to-be and current grads should try and send out their applications and resumes for jobs and internships a few months before graduation. I'm not saying that they should apply for every job, but the ones that fit their criteria and what they're getting their degrees in. Do this before graduation, after graduation, and keep going until you find one that displays an interest in you, pays decently or well and is something you could do for a while. But SEND YOUR RESUMES OFF ASAP. Don't expect to hear back instantly. It may take weeks or even months. But something will work out. Be patient, and don't give up!
