They said graduation would be a breeze. They said it would be something you look forward to. What they didn't tell you is that the amount of stress that comes with graduation is unbearable. There is so much to do and so little time. You never thought it could be this bad, but it is.
The beginning of the semester was fantastic! You started to become confident and already started your countdown to graduation. Your grades were looking great and life was such a breeze. Now with only one month until graduation everything starts to hit you at once. You realized that now you have to meet all these deadlines for graduation meetings, attire, etc. On top of that, you have to make sure that your grades will look good at the end of the semester.
On top of the deadlines and school work, now is the time to start thinking about life after college. Most people move back home, others stay in the town that their college is at and the remaining students move to a new city. With only one month left it's time to start cracking down and applying for jobs. You might think that your 4.0 GPA will help you, but really it doesn't. Companies look at the experience you have to bring and how you can help them grow.
Once you land a job, you then have to start to apartment search. Are you going to live in the city? or are you going to live on the outskirts. There are so many decisions that come into play when graduation time comes around.
Money will become the number one biggest stress factor during this time. Once you graduate, you're on your own. You don't have anyone to help with money. You are depending on your job to make a decent amount of money to live off of while paying off bills as well. Or if you took out student loans you also have to take that into consideration as well.
Graduation is supposed to be this fun time in your life when you don't have to worry about anything but walking across that stage and receiving your "diploma" (because the real ones are mailed to you). Don't get me wrong, graduation is still a wonderful thing to look forward to, but no one will ever understand the amount of stress you go through to get to that point.
For those of you graduating this semester, you aren't alone. There are some people out there that know what you're going through and can sympathize. Just remember to keep your head up and good things will come in time. It might take a few months before you get a job and that's okay. Don't give up and keep trying. You might not be the fastest runner, but you WILL cross that finish line. Don't give up hope and keep going on.
