Lindsay is a former Intern Queen Campus Ambassador from West Virginia University and is now part of our job blogging network. She will continue to keep us posted on her journey post-graduation! Good luck, Linds!
Graduation… if I had to use two adjectives to describe it they would be “bitter” and “sweet.” Everyone is so thrilled to never have to sit through a boring undergrad lecture again but we forget that means the end of being a student. No more free passes to athletic events, student discounts or summers off. Possibly never having to study for another final or write an endless paper in the middle of the night feels great, but it dawns on you that in the process your leaving behind a place and a group of people that you’ve spent four (or five) years of your life with. It becomes impossible to ignore the fact that although there may be reunions and the occasional “get together,” nothing will ever be completely the same. The “norm” of college life that we have settled into is completely disrupted and I for one have been left feeling completely uprooted.
This is why it’s so important to start thinking about graduation before it actually happens. Don’t let it completely blind side you or wait for it to creep up on you and slap you in the face. I started preparing for graduation during Winter Break to ensure that I had a plan. I was determined that when I finally slammed the down the roof of the overflowing trunk of my car and pulled out of the driveway of my college home for the last time, that on top of my bittersweet mix of depression and joy I wouldn’t be having to ask myself “now what?”. In December, I started searching for jobs and internships in my top three dream living locations. I landed a summer internship in New York City during February, and trust me when I say that it was a huge relief knowing that after graduation I wouldn’t be stuck on my parents couch. It allowed me to be excited and gave me something to look forward to. In other words, it softened the blow of having to say goodbye to good friends and experiencing a million “lasts” (for example: last time having happy hour at my favorite bar, last time going to the student rec with my roommate, etc…).
Sitting in my parents house unpacking from college and repacking for New York (I leave in four days) I’m still a little sad. But having a plan and finding an internship early has made all the difference in helping me to let go and move on from college. Seriously, how can I be depressed when I’m about to start a new life in the Big Apple at the internship of my dreams? NYC here I come!!!
