As a senior in college, there are a few different things that I experience on an almost daily basis that I think should be addressed. Whether you have a friend or family member that is graduating, there are things that you can do to help them cope with the experience and there are things that YOU ARE DOING that completely stresses them out. This is one of the most stressful and crazy times of our lives because we are literally months, not years, away from actually “adulting.” We are at the point of life where we can no longer procrastinate with what were are going to do with our lives. We have to deal with our classes, our normal daily drama and plan our life after graduation plans. This includes looking and applying for jobs, interviews, finding an apartment, saving up for a down payment for that apartment, buying a reliable car, applying to graduate (yes, schools actually make you fill out applications and paperwork just to walk at graduation), applying and interviewing for grad school, and much more. The stress of being a senior is much more than that of any other year. As our friend/family member/ coworker or whatever the relationship is, there are some do’s and don’ts when it comes to interacting with us.

Do:

Encourage us- remind us that we are going to be ok. Tell us that we are going to figure everything out and just because we are graduating, doesn’t mean that we are going to lose our friendships. Remind us that God is in control of our lives and has a perfect plan for us. Tell us that we are going to get through our last semester of classes and pass these classes easily because well, we’ve made it this far.

Spend time with us- We may have the busiest schedule ever, but knowing that we have friend’s/family members who want to sit down and just hang out with us or eat a meal with us takes a lot of stress away. Sometimes we need a break from reality and we just need to sit down and have a normal fun time with our friends/family.

Pray for us- pray that we really will get everything finished by the end of the year. Pray that we will be trusting in God and his plan for us. Pray that we are enjoying our last few months in school and making the most out of it. Pray that God makes our transition into “adulthood” as smooth as He possibly can. Pray that we are going into the right career path.

Do Not:

ASK US WHAT OUR AFTER GRADUATION PLANS ARE- (This one is first on the list because it is the most important.) The reason as to why on this one is simple….I DO NOT KNOW WHAT MY PLANS ARE.

Expect us to have it all together- as stated earlier, we have a lot going on in our lives at this point. We feel like we have nothing together. That may or may not be true, but either way, don’t hold us to the expectation that we are supposed to have it together.

Distance yourself from us just because we soon will not be living on the same campus as you- Just because we are graduating does not mean that we can no longer be friends. Do not think that graduation is another term for “end friendship.” We still want to be your close friend. We still want to talk to you. We still want to hang out with you after we graduate. KEEP BEING MY FRIEND.

To summarize, we are graduating soon but we don’t want to be reminded of that constantly. We want to continue living our lives with our friends close by our side. We don’t know what we are doing yet (well, some of us might) and that is ok. We are going to figure it all out. We are stressed, do not add to that stress but rather, enjoy this time of our lives with us. When we think of college, we are probably going to think more of the people that we were close with at the end. If you are graduating this semester, I BELIEVE IN YOU.