First semester we were able to push it off, but now that spring semester is under way, it’s officially impossible to deter the conversation any longer. “So, are you excited for the big day?,” “Do you know your plans for after?,” “Have you applied anywhere yet?”
As the days until the dreaded “g-word” seem to be flying by, we, as seniors, are being forced to face situations and emotions that we may or may not be ready for.
While some are fortunate enough to already know their post-grad plans, many seniors do not.
And not only is there an excessive amount of things to consider, but it also seems to be the most frequent topic of conversation no matter where we go.
Philip Bergeron / Graphic Design Editor
I’ll even be the first to admit I’m guilty of it — I ask other seniors if they know their future plans and ask recent graduates what they’ve been up to.
The topic can be such a personal or stressful one, yet it is simply unavoidable.
It may seem like our options are endless and looking at it optimistically, they really could be. But, with every option comes some drawbacks.
For example, say the post-grad plan is grad school, that means that this student must kick ass all semester grade-wise and nail everything on both the application and the process itself; such as studying for/taking the GREs [revised General Tests], getting accepted, finding suitable housing and figuring out the logistics of tuition — do loans need to be taken out? What about financial aid?
Or, let’s say the plan doesn’t include grad school. Do I want to live at home for a while? Do I want to move out as soon as possible? Could I even afford to move out if I wanted to? What about finding a job?
Do I want to work part-time at a few different places and save up for a while or do I want to jump right into a full-time salary position?
While it is said that the door to the “real world” is soon to be wide open for those of us about to graduate, this is proving not to be the case.
According to a USA Today article from last May, the “Bureau of Labor Statistics data compiled by the EPI show that the unemployment rate for those under 25 is typically at least twice the national average, because they are so new to the job market, lack experience and may be the first let go when a company has to downsize in hard economic times.”
A Huffington Post article confirms this by stating, “The report, from the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, concludes that while college-educated Americans are less likely to collect unemployment, many of the jobs they do have aren’t worth the price of their diplomas.”
So, basically, we spend all this time and money going to school just to enter the “real world” and be told we aren’t good enough to be doing what we actually want to do.
Becca Falk can be contacted at bfalk@keene-equinox.com
