As you may know by now, I’ll be graduating from college in May! (Hallelujah). Although this is not my first degree, it’s the one that has a lot of meaning to me, I get emotional just thinking about how far I’ve come.
Let me just say college senioritis is definitely a thing, I thought it was a myth, but I’m currently experiencing it. In the last 2 weeks, I haven’t felt as motivated as I usually am. However, I still show up and get the work done, but there’s definitely been a decrease in motivation. I’m working on getting out of this funk cause it’s not cute.
One thing I will say is that at the start of my senior year, I decided to get more involved on campus by joining different organizations, volunteering, making new friends, etc. The old me would go to class and then leave right after. I was always eager to get home after class and didn’t take the time to get to know my classmates in my cohort. When I realized I was approaching my last year in college, I decided that I needed to change some things about me; that included learning to make new friends. I didn’t want to only have small talk with my classmates during class time, I wanted to create friendships that would last beyond the classroom, so that’s what I did. There are things I looked back on that I wished I did more of. Nevertheless, as my life’s mantra, nothing happens before it’s time, so no regrets.

I’m sharing with you 10 things you need to do in your senior year of college.

1. Do a life audit. I tend to do this quite often just so that I can evaluate and see where I need to improve on, there’s always work that needs to be done. We already know adulting is hard, so I encourage you to use this time wisely to think about what you want for your life after you graduate. Then make sure what you do in your senior year gets you closer to that goal. Reflect on the lessons you’ve learned so that you don’t make the same mistakes.

2. Have your resume reviewed. Now is the time you need to be actively looking for a job if you haven’t found one already. Utilize the career services center at your school. I recently had my resume reviewed and updated using this “free” service at my school and have gotten some opportunities since doing this. I mean, you’re technically paying for this with your tuition, so might as well take advantage of it!

3. Do Mock Interviews. The career services office at your school should have this service available. If they do, I advise that you attend a session. This will allow you to get some feedback as well as learning how to best answer questions during an interview. I remember taking a Public health careers class, and as part of our grade, we had to do mock interviews in class. To this day, I carry what I learned from that class throughout my interviews.

4. Get involved and find where to fit in. Join a student club to get more involved and possibly gain some experience in your desired field. Most of these usually have opportunities for students to volunteer and even intern.

5. Network, network, network. I’ve seen the importance of networking, especially during my senior year. If possible, attend conferences catered towards your field of study, as well as on-campus events. This will get you into doors you dream of walking through or never imagined.

6. If possible, study abroad. My first experience was amazing and changed my life, I’m happy with my decision to do one. Check out my blog post Reasons You Should Study Abroad to give you some motivation. Also, visit the study abroad office at your school to discuss your options.

7. Land an internship. I know most of you have been actively looking for an internship cause I have been. It can be a stressful time, but we must remember that an internship is a useful tool that will help you to gain experience and can lead to landing a full-time offer

8. Be sure to go to class. I don’t care if the class starts at 8 and you’re not a morning person. This is what will set you apart from the others. Now, I know it’s hard cause I struggle some days, but when you have specific goals you want to achieve, you have to get up, show up and do the work!

9. Develop a relationship with the faculty. You’re getting ready to graduate and will need a letter of recommendation when applying for Graduate school, internships, and jobs. I was able to develop relationships with some of my professors, and when I asked for a letter of recommendation, they all agreed to do it without hesitation.

10. Join the alumni association. This is a great way to keep in contact and reconnect with old classmates. I’ve already gotten emails about joining.

As a bonus!

Do your ultimate best! Like I mentioned earlier, I’ve been experiencing senioritis. It’s going to be very tempted to slack off due to senioritis. If you’re like me, you’re probably pretty much over the semester, but we still have assignments and papers that need to be done. We still have quizzes and exams to study for. So as much as temptation creeps in, the goal is to do our best. Try to find creative ways to get you out of the slump. Graduation is right around the corner.

Get some sleep!
I know, I know, you’re probably wondering what’s wrong with me, I know we said we won’t slack off but let me tell you, one thing I am going to do is get some sleep. Nothing is coming in the way of me getting some rest. There are times when I have to burn the midnight oil and stay up late. When you stay organized and plan out your week, the chances of accomplishing your daily tasks and being able to get some sleep are very high.

If you have any suggestions to add to my list, feel free to leave a comment. Let’s chat! The end of the road is very near for us college seniors, let’s show up and do the work!

 

xoxo, Tanya