Senior year of college, those are the four words that no college student will ever be prepared for and it comes faster than people think. I am going into my senior year at Marquette University and I remember my first day of college when I was a freshman just like it was yesterday (despite all the concussions). Senior year is supposed to be the last year before we go into “the real world” where we can’t sleep in until noon or eat ice cream for breakfast (which that can be heavily debated), but the bottom line is that no one really knows how to prepare for senior year. These are my four suggestions of things to focus on your senior year not including your grades (yes those still matter).

1. Get your financials in order.

With college we obviously have some pretty high bills that need to be paid. My suggestion would be to go to your finical advisor at your school and talk to them about methods they know of how to pay college debt. Unless you’re a division one athlete, we all have some type of bills we owe and it would be best to pay those off as soon as possible because no one likes interest rates. Sooner you pay off your bills, the sooner you get to enjoy your life with your hard earned cash.

2. Explore the location you are in.

Chances are you are likely to either go back home or stay in the area your school is in after you graduate to find work. With work obviously comes long hours to the point where once you finally clock out all you have time for really is to get your daily work out, eat, and watch that one episode which leads to three on Netflix. Take the time you have when you’re not working on classes to go explore the town and the things you have been hearing about for years but never visited.

3. Make as many connections as humanly possible.

Today more than ever our connections is very essential to us possibly getting a job more than someone who might have more experience in our respected fields. For years now I have been hearing from my professors, “it’s not about what you know, it’s about who you know.” To which is honestly the most truthful statement I’ve heard in years when it comes to school. This is when you need to make as many connections as you can with professors, deans, employers, etc. simply because there could be a time where we need to find work or need references and the more opportunities or help you get makes everything in life so much easier

4. Make as many memories and friends as you can.

Once senior year is over, many students tend to move elsewhere to find work. Some friends you might have made in college you may never see again because your career choices may never cross paths. This is the year that when you have free time you need to make the most of every second and be with people you know to enjoy each other’s company for as long as you can. Because you don’t know when you will see each other again, but the bottom line is that you’ll always be able to remember the good times you had in college. I am no way shape or form saying that life after college isn’t fun, but we will never have as much free time or less responsibilities as we had in college once we graduate.