Graduation: A senior’s advice for last days at UIndy
In just less than one month, the senior class will graduate from the University of Indianapolis.
Scary thought, isn’t it? Where did all the time go? Didn’t it seem like just yesterday it was Welcome Week and our orientation leaders were giving us tours of the campus?
After graduation comes the real world, which seems like a very big and scary place. The feeling of being independent, thrown out in the world and done with school can make graduates nervous and overwhelmed.
The real world is a big place, and it’s easy to feel small and lost. People have to find houses or other places to live, a car if they don’t already own one and, worst of all, a job: a real, high-paying, successful job in their field.
Luckily, UIndy can help with that.
The Office of Career Services, located on the second floor of Schwitzer Student Center, helps students and alumni find jobs in their field. They can help give students advice for jobs, internships and what to do once they have graduated and are out in the “real world.” It’s a good resource to have, especially for those who are nervous about what comes next and for those who don’t quite have a post-graduate plan in place.
JobHound Connect is also a very useful resource. It’s surprising that more students don’t use it. This program stays with students as long as they like, even up to 10 years from now. It doesn’t go away after graduation, like the MyUIndy account. JobHound Connect helps students find jobs by having students who sign up post a résumé and fill out a few forms about themselves, including areas and locations of interest, and the program does the rest. Interesting, isn’t it?
Don’t forget to enjoy the final days at UIndy. College is a time that will never come again. The “real world” doesn’t end. There are no summer breaks, Christmas breaks, fall breaks or spring breaks. Here, professors are ready and willing to help, students can make their own schedules and campus holds a lot of fun events for students in their free time. How many jobs do that? And if anyone likes the free printing or the food the cafeteria has, enjoy it while it lasts.
Of course, some seniors welcome the real world. Four years at UIndy may have exhausted them, considering all the time and effort spent and put into classes, work and obtaining that degree. While college may have been fun, it’s time to seek new opportunities elsewhere.
But one thing is for sure. No matter how students feel about graduation, these last days will count. It’s a final impression you leave on the faculty and underclassmen, and on the campus itself. On what kind of note do you want to end your college career? Last impressions can be almost as vital as first impressions, and these last bittersweet days at UIndy will matter almost as much as the first week here. Use them wisely.
