As graduation gets closer and closer, most seniors just really want to get done with everything and take a breather. I, for example, just want to lie in bed and re-watch that last episode of Game of Thrones. That ending was great, cathartic even, since I had really wanted to set my Biochemistry homework on fire.
Some professors get a kick out of frightening the seniors in their classes by deliberately “forgetting” how much time was left in the semester. One of mine actually congratulated us on graduating on two weeks. Instead of happiness and joy, all of the seniors and thesis writers turned pale until he remembered there was about a month left. Didn’t help that all the seniors had to go to the campus center to pick up graduation gowns. That feeling when you get a bad Biochemistry exam score back and then you go to get your cap and gown? Oh yeah. Heartbreak.
Although I would highly suggest that seniors focus on just getting through the semester first and then worry about the rest later, it’s not an ideal plan. Part of the reason so many of us are busy are because graduate school applications, theses, job searches, interviews, GREs, MCATs, and just plans on what is going to happen with life after college. Rather than slacking off, get your plans together before you take a rest. I would know, since it was with extreme difficultly that I made myself finish community college applications after watching a whole season of Dexter. Don’t fall into the trap.
However, if you’d rather focus on your studies first or you’re taking a gap year, then alright; work at it your own way. My cousin called, being a fifth year UC Davis student, and told me, “Better an unemployed college graduate than just unemployed.” There is truth to that, but…if I don’t get a job, my mother is going to kill me. Anyone else in the same boat?
A few places to check for job opportunities:
- Alumni (talk to your advisors)
- Mentorship programs (Amherst has Pathways, where alums and their mentees regularly talk about jobs, employment and/or life experiences.)
- Alameda County Health Pipeline Partnership (ACHPP) for those of you in Northern California
- Lab technician positions at your college, even. (Ask your professors)