The Fear of Being a Senior in College and What Comes Next
If you are a senior in college and are reading this, I assume that your graduation day is drawing near. Sadly, the reality of entering the “real world” is also approaching fast. I, like many other graduating seniors, am starting to feel nervous about life after college. Any month next year—graduation dates and undergraduate requirements deadlines—may leave us feeling dread, excitement, relief, and fear. But what comes next?
I am never ready to graduate and do adulting stuff.
I usually viewed college graduation as an exciting time, the end of an era, the end of school life, but not when you are the one soon to graduate. Admittedly, I am never ready to graduate and do adulting stuff. Especially when the last two years of my college years had been completed online and I feel like I’m missing out on the sense of completion and achievement that comes with graduation.
And now that things are returning back to normal, I am just starting to realize the reality of my situation—something that I’ve tried to suppress for a while. Don’t get me wrong, being a senior in college is exciting; however, sometimes, the excitement is tempered by looming uncertainty. And with the constant thinking about what will be my future comes fears.
Uncertainties filled my mind every single day.
Every night, I’m experiencing the anxiety of leaving College and entering the “real world.” Real world where I have to find a job, be one of the providers of the family, and help my siblings to graduate school in terms of finances. Uncertainties filled my mind every single day. I don’t know if it’s natural that I spent many years in school and four years in college, but I still do not know what to do with my life. That’s how I feel; I fear being a college senior. The list of worries just goes on and questions like—
How can I deal with the uncertainty in my future once I walk across that stage to receive my diploma?
“What to do with my course?”
“Will I be able to find a job?”
“What if no one will hire me?”
“What If I disappoint my family?”
True enough, the transition out of college can feel surprisingly stressful.
Graduation is only a semester away, yet already the pressure of finding a job, getting paid, and starting a career is beginning to weigh heavily on my shoulders. There are moments when I have to fight off the nagging question of “what’s the point of this” from somewhere deep within my mind and I am having a hard time coming up with an answer that will satisfy me.
But then, I realized that no one expects me to run the world straight out of college.
The real world can be intimidating, and it’s normal to feel anxious about it after graduating. There may be pressures, but I should keep myself from enjoying the last year of my college life and stop stressing over what lies ahead after my graduation cap hits the ground. College graduation is not the end of the world. So, I’m crossing my fingers that, even if everything doesn’t go as planned, it turns out even better than I expected.
I know I’m not the only one dealing with a senior year crisis and if you are too, I want you to know that it’s normal to be worried about what’s to come after graduation, but it shouldn’t keep you from making the most of your last year of university. We are finally graduating! A bachelor’s degree is within our reach.
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