I’ve dragged myself to my 9:55 on a Friday. I’m really not a morning person, but it’s not so bad after a few cups of coffee. If you asked me what my second semester of senior year schedule would look like when I was a freshman, I would have told you no classes Friday or Monday. However, as a freshman I wore my keys on a lanyard around my neck and barely knew how to do laundry. Needless to say I had questionable judgment.
Despite recently being told by a UW-Madison Police officer that I look like I’m 19, I am 22 years old. I will be a UW-Madison alumni come May, and will be *hopefully* entering the work force. I spend my time trying to enjoy my last semester as an undergrad, trying to learn how to be an adult, and most importantly trying to stay sane. That last part is not always easy. Here are a few pieces of advice that I credit to my continued happiness and partial sanity.
1. College sucks sometimes: Okay that was a little blunt. But what I mean by that is first semester freshman year you go home for Thanksgiving and all of your friends from high school are talking about how great their new lives are. You wonder why your experience isn’t completely perfect. What you have to realize is that no one loves college all the time. Just like no one loves life all the time and that’s ok. You just have to roll with the ups and downs and know that adjusting takes time.
2. Take care of yourself: This means eating more than macaroni and cheese or diet soda. Maybe have a piece of fruit everyone once in a while and see what the gym is like. Not that you have to be the picture of healthy living, because trust me I’m not. However, it is easier to be happier when you’re moderately healthy.
3. Study abroad: A little shameless promotion because I do work for the study abroad office. But honestly, this was probably the best experience of my college career. It was amazing and scary all at the same time. Studying abroad, I was pushed outside my comfort zone and grew so much as a person. This is something I would recommend to every college student out there, no matter what your major.
4. Do what you love: Embarrassingly enough I did not declare my major until last semester. Sometimes it takes time to find what you like. You’ll have to try some weird things along the way too. This means, don’t force yourself into a major just because you’ve heard it has the highest income for recent college graduates. Trust me that won’t work out for you. Chances are you will be happier and more successful in a career that you enjoy, so follow that inclination whatever it may be.
5.Trust yourself: A friend recently gave me a piece of good advice. Every college graduate has once been in the place that I am now, and in some way or another it works out. We are graduating with degrees from an outstanding university. Trust yourself and all the hard work you have put into these last years.
On that sappy note, I will return to my job search. Stay positive, everybody! HCXO.