It’s crazy how fast college can pass you by. It feels like just yesterday I was arriving at my freshman year dorm. As I enter into my senior year of college, I am overwhelmed with emotions and I don’t really know how to feel yet. I have a lot of anxiety about graduation and going into the “real world.” Here are the 7 main worries that I have about post-grad life:
- Staying in touch with my friends from college
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I’ve made so many amazing friends while I’ve been at college and I really do not want to lose any of those friendships. I also have several close friends that are not graduating next year. Since I do not know where I’m going to end up after I graduate, it makes me nervous that I won’t be able to stay as close of friends with everyone. I’ve spent 4 years developing these friendships and it scares me that I’m going to lose them. I know everyone goes their own ways after college, but the thought of starting over and making a completely new friend group, is absolutely terrifying for me, especially considering how long it takes me to open up and trust people.
- Adopting to a new lifestyle
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I’m a person that thrives off of routine and doesn’t deal with change so easily. When it comes to developing a new lifestyle and routine, I struggle with it and have a hard time adjusting. I’ve basically been going to school my entire life so I am used to the routine of going to classes and doing schoolwork. It’s going to be really challenging for me when I graduate to become comfortable with a new lifestyle that doesn’t revolve around school. It will be a completely fresh start, which has is good, but it will definitely be a change from everything I’ve been used to for my entire life.
- Dealing with finances
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I’ve always been the type of person that has relied on my parents to deal with my finances. I have almost 0 financial literacy, so going out into the world and having to figure everything out by myself will be interesting. I know I will eventually understand finances and how they work, but right now, it seems like a lot of information to process. I don’t want to always be the person who asks their parents about finances for my entire life; I want to be able to handle my finances independently. It makes me anxious thinking about learning financial terms and also being able to provide for myself financially.
- Finding a job
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Even though I am graduating from a great university with a good amount of experience of the career I want to enter into, it still is stressful thinking about trying to find a job after college. Getting a degree doesn’t always mean landing a job right away for a lot of people. It’s nerve-wracking thinking that so many people are probably in the same position as you applying to the same job and you probably won’t even hear back from a lot of places. Applying to internships was already draining for me and it took me so long to even get an interview at a company. I know that this is something a lot of post-grads struggle with, but now that I am going into my senior year I am already starting to feel anxious about finding a job and finding my place in the world.
- Being miserable at my job
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Even if I do find a job after college, I still worry about being unhappy at my job and stuck at a place I hate. I don’t expect to like every job I’ll ever have, but I also don’t want to be stuck for a long time doing something I don’t like. I’m not sure what worries me more: not having a job or having a job that I hate? Having a toxic work environment could also have a negative effect on your mental and physical health too. Life is too short to be stuck at a job that you hate.
- Should I go to grad school?
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So many people that I talk to are set on going to grad school right after college and it causes me to feel a lot of pressure to go to grad school too even if I don’t know if it’s the right decision for me. It seems like a lot of jobs prefer having a post-graduate degree. However, I have been in school my entire life and honestly, I need a break. It worries me when people are constantly talking about their graduate school plans right after undergrad, but I think I just need to accept that I’m on my own path and it’s okay to go down a different route. Also, grad school could still be an option down the road.
- Relocating to a new place
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I’ve always lived really close by to my family and friends and the thought of moving away from everything I’m comfortable with is upsetting. I’m so used to living nearby my family and being able to see them often. Although I do want to move and have a fresh start somewhere else, I am also worried about how I will handle not being close to my family and friends.
Graduating from college is definitely a nerve-wracking thing to think about, but it is also exciting. It’s a chance to experience and try new things. Right now, I think I am going to focus on finishing out my senior year and not put so much pressure on myself to figure out what’s next. Â