Thinking about life after graduation
Illustration by Yana Samoylova, Staff Illustrator
“Sooo… what are your plans for after you graduate?”
Especially after coming back from the holiday break, this question is asked by nearly every friend and family member I’ve encountered as a second-semester senior. With my time at Chapman quickly coming to a close, this question has me reflecting on the anxiety that comes with thinking of a response.
We want to respond with a calm face, as though we have it all figured out.
Maybe you have a job, are taking a gap year or want to go to graduate school. Or maybe it is as simple as: “I have no idea yet.”
Most of us have had the stability of knowing our next steps up until our early twenties. We move from elementary school to high school and then college. But what happens after that?
This marking of a new chapter in our lives is filled with the unknown, worries, excitement and nostalgia. If you ask me, I find it terrifying. The pressure to start figuring out your life, perhaps for the long term, is a competitive world and we don’t have people holding our hands throughout the process.
I have never been a person who adapts well to change. For the past four years, I have found comfort in bumping into friendly faces on campus, living around the corner from friends, being a part of clubs and even sitting in a classroom listening to a lecture.
When I stop to think about it, I love how much of my college experience has felt like a constant social hour. Whether it’s people-watching and saying hello to friends on the Starbucks patio, making a new friend in a class or getting to live with my friends, college has been a time for me to build a life for myself — one that I dread parting from.
Fast forward to the “adult world,” where we are expected to work full-time jobs, pay bills, navigate endless meetings and somehow find time for ourselves — no one warns you about that part. That has given me a newfound appreciation for the concept of homework and midterms.
When these feelings of anxiety and nostalgia fill my mind, there are two sentences I keep repeating to myself:
“Everyone is feeling the same way.”
“Everything will work out.”
As a planner, I like knowing what my day-to-day schedule looks like. For the duration of the fall semester, I have spent countless hours working on personal statements, excessively venting to professors I have come to call mentors and refining writing samples for each program I’ve applied to.
As I currently sit in the waiting period of whether I get accepted into graduate school programs or if I must go on the job search, I have been put into a restless state of uneasiness. Not knowing the plan makes me feel as though I’m stepping into a fog, unsure of what’s beneath my feet, but hoping I don’t stumble. When these feelings flare up, I again tell myself how it will all work out — because it has to… right?
In a recent survey collected from Handshake, the popular work-search platform we are all too familiar with, 57% of college seniors reported pessimistic feelings about starting their post-graduate careers. While this may seem like a distressing statistic, it further instills the feeling of not being alone in this unprecedented process.
As I continue to fear the unknown, I think of ways I can take control of my future to the best of my ability. So, to my fellow seniors, take advantage of what Chapman offers us in regard to taking those big steps. Meet with a Chapman career advisor, go to the next job fair, schedule a meeting with your academic advisor or check out The Panther Network to connect with Chapman alumni who have careers you are interested in.
While it’s important to think about how we envision our futures, it’s also important for us to have fun and be in the moment. As Chapman kindly informed us via email, we have less than 100 days before commencement — a piece of information that made me gasp while in class.
In these last 100 days, we should have fun and take in our time as undergraduates while we can.
What have you always wanted to check off your college bucket list? If you can’t think of things, check out The Panther Experience for a Chapman edition list of opportunities.
Go for a little walk around campus or go to the caf for some extra nostalgia — and a potential stomach ache. Explore places you have yet to try in the circle, and most importantly, spend time with your friends.
These are the behaviors and mindsets I aim to have in my final semester. So the next time I am asked the daunting question of my plans after graduation, while I am still less confident in the first portion of my response, I know my answer will confidently end with saying
“... but I know everything will work out.”
