Senior Year Already?! The 411 on How to Prepare for What’s to Come

I know for most of us it feels like it was yesterday when we arrived to campus to start our college careers. For others, this feeling of reaching senior year is more like “Finally!”, “Thank God!”, “I can’t wait to leave,” etc. Although early congratulations are in order for making it this far, because let’s be honest, this accomplishment was not an easy feat, it is also not a time to catch the familiar lazy feeling of ‘senioritis’. This is the time where you make the most important strides towards your future, which entails planning what you will be doing after you walk up that stage and receive your diploma. In short, seniors… your time is NOW, not May, but right now before the fall semester passes us by, because this semester is the most important one for seniors.
 
Fall semester is the time when applications to graduate schools are due and senior audits appointments have to be made. This is literally the beginning of the end, a time that forces you to make big decisions about your future after your undergraduate experience.

There are just a few crucial things to get done before all the breaks start (so give or take, get these things done before the week of Thanksgiving).
 
1. The first place to start is at your local Career Services Office. This is a place where you can take full advantage of your alumni connections, and assistance with resume and cover letter writing, at no cost to you. All that is needed on your end is simply your time and effort.
While you are there, also take the opportunity to read up on the different choices being offered for post graduation such as graduate school, the military, or job market. Whatever your objectives are, there is definitely a person in this office that can point you in the right direction and if they don’t have an answer for you, they will connect you with someone who does and is willing to help you achieve your goals!
 
2. Your next stop should be the Registrar’s Office because you need to schedule your senior audit. It is important for you to know if you are on track credit-wise and whether or not you need to add or drop a class in order to have enough credits to graduate. Completing a senior audit early ensures this and lifts a great weight off your shoulders because after completion, you will know exactly where you stand and if you do it early enough, you will be able to make the necessary changes in time before it is too late.
 
3. Ask professors, coaches, employers, etc., for recommendation letters. Start early! Make sure to plan accordingly because you don’t want a reccomender to rush through your letters and have them come out sounding generic, so give them the time to do a job well done that will result in a jaw dropping recommendation letter.
 
4. Polish up those resumes and cover letters. Revise them as much as possible until they are finished to their ultimate potential. Have other people look over these documents because you might have missed something in the process. Revise! Revise! Revise!

 
5. Start applying to grad schools NOW! Deadlines are before the holiday break and you definitely don’t want to ruin your beautiful pair of UGGs running in the cold weather to the post office. Make sure you have everything in order and again, have someone look over your application for any last minute additions or revisions.

6. Keep those grades up! Just because you are a senior now doesn’t mean that a good standing in all of your classes is not important anymore. End your year with a bang!
 
7. Lastly, before you know it, December will be here. This is when everything starts to pay off. All graduate school applications should be submitted by this point and now you are waiting impatiently, staulking the mailman to see if any acceptance letters are coming your way. Stay strong and remember, nothing is worth having without having had struggled a little along the way.

Good luck to the Senior class of 2012. Before we know it, we will be alumni!