College Graduation
LAST Monday, I graduated college.
In the days leading up to it, I was confused as to why everyone was so emotional. I didn’t see it any different from when I graduated from elementary and high school – just a simple way of moving on from one chapter to the next.
I would even laugh as my classmates got emotional, though this laughter was accompanied by loving hugs and reassuring promises that we were sure to see each other again.
One day, however, our school held its Baccalaureate Mass. It’s an event for graduating students that starts with mass and ends with a huge fireworks display.
As I looked up at the sky, with different colors exploding left and right, and thousands of others looking up just as I was, I found myself holding back tears.
During the end of the event, when I had walked through the school’s arch – another beloved tradition – and stood with my friends, talking about where we were going to eat afterward, I started crying because I realized that I was never going to be able to experience this ever again.
I was never going to be able to see my friends every week again. I was never going to be able to hang out with them in the bathroom, retouching our makeup and updating each other about our lives in between classes. We were never going to be able to have our mandatory chikahan sessions at our friend’s dormitories.
In a flash, this routine that I had known for the past four years was over, and now… now I’m on my own, thrust into an entirely new phase of life.
I’m not going to lie and say that I haven’t prepared for this, because I somewhat have, but that doesn’t make it any less hard. That doesn’t make it any less painful.
If you’re like me and have just recently graduated and are having difficulty in navigating this new part of your life, here are some pieces of advice that I’ve gathered from my loved ones that have helped me keep afloat despite these confusing, trying times.
Take your time in finding a new routine
Perhaps the hardest thing about graduating – for me, at least – is trying to settle into a new routine away from what I had gotten used to. Though I would always moan about constantly having to go to class, it gave my life structure.
I always knew what was coming, and I always knew how my day was going to go. Now that I don’t have that anymore, I have no idea what to do with myself.
If this is something you’re currently struggling with, know that it’s perfectly fine not to fall into a new routine right away. Figure out what you like to do, as well as a schedule that works for you.
Set aside time for new hobbies, schedule dates with your friends, family, or partner, or maybe even start looking for work. Right now, focus on the positive: that the opportunities you have right now are endless.
I know dealing with change can be scary, but it’s okay to be scared. Hell, do it scared! Live life scared!
This is a new chapter of your life rife with new beginnings. You could become a new person, or start a new life. The ball is in your court now – you just have to figure out who to pass it to.
It’s okay to job-hop
One thing I was focused on toward the end of my stay in college was figuring out when and where I was going to start working.
Now that I’m officially an unemployed adult, knowing all the expenses my family has each month, I don’t want to waste time because I feel like not contributing would mean that I’m a burden to my family.
My mother, however, reassured me that that wasn’t true. Remember the fact that you’ve been busting your ass every day for the past four years.
There’s no rest, no relaxation when you’re a college student. Even when you do get to “rest,” your brain is still filled with anxiety about all the things you still have to do.
You don’t have to find a job right away. It’s important to canvas and look at the jobs available on the market. Apply to those that you think would be a good fit for you, and see how things work out, but don’t pressure yourself to find a job the same week you graduate.
Even if you were to get a job, and you find that things aren’t working out, that’s okay too. The first few years after you graduate are the best time to hop from job to job, because that’s the time wherein you’re meant to find your calling.
You’re young. Don’t force yourself to stay in a place that makes you unhappy, or doesn’t treat you well, just because you’re scared that you won’t find another one to go to after that.
Again: the possibilities are endless.
Don’t cry because it’s over – smile because it happened
Yes, I know this is the most cliche piece of advice I could ever give you. It’s the type of thing you see on a poster in a suburban mother’s living room.
This is something I would jokingly say to my friends whenever they were sad about something, especially when graduation was approaching. Though it started as a joke, it quickly became something that I started to believe in – something that kept me grounded, even.
I found myself spiraling because I felt like I was never going to experience college life ever again.
Then I realized it was okay because the fact that I even got to experience those things – drinking with my friends, crying on their shoulders when I was at my lowest, re-discovering myself, making connections that I knew were going to last me a lifetime – all happened thanks to my going to college.
I may never get to have that again, but the fact that I did have it, the fact that I was blessed enough to experience it… that’s enough for me.
Of course, I’m going to miss it. Only a few days have passed since I last saw my friends and I’ve been feeling immense separation anxiety since then, but I know that this isn’t the end of our friendship, nor is it the end of the memories we’re going to make together.
It simply means that now is a time to make new memories. What could be more exciting than that?
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