Sean Deutsch shares his opinions on the notorious "post-graduation blues."
As I was driving through Philadelphia on my way home for fall break, I saw a homeless man with a sign that read “The End is Near: 2012” (it was actually spelled ‘Neer’ but I’ll spell check him to be nice). My first thought was, oh my gosh, he is right. The end is near! Graduation is in just seven months.
The realization of graduation, for some seniors, is like the morning after they blacked out at the dance. They just don’t want to talk about it. Then there are the sentimental seniors who refer to graduation as the “G word” and they keep track of every “last” their group of friends has. And it eventually gets way too specific like “O-M-G guys, this is our last first lunch on the Monday of the second week of classes.”
Regardless of which kind of senior you are, the inevitable G-day will fall upon us. High rates of unemployment and mountainous student loans to pay off could have any senior shaking in their cap and gown. Just ask any of the alumni at Homecoming how they like the quote-unquote real world. You will be able to see the fear in their eyes as they tell you to “never leave Etown!”
If I have learned anything at Etown, though, it is to always look at both sides of the story (also to never go inside a dance sober). So I thought I would mention some of the top things to look forward to after graduation and while you are enjoying the festivities of Homecoming (mmm carrot cake), see how many alumni agree with me.
The number one thing to look forward to after graduation is making money. Regardless of whether you are starting a job in your respective career or going back to that high school job at McDonald’s, you finally have a steady job and that is something to be proud of. Your days will no longer be ruined by checking the amount of money in your bank account. Sure, money isn’t everything, but there is a reason why that homeless man was standing on that corner with that sign, and that reason is not because he has too much money.
The point I’m trying to make is that we are all getting the opportunity to start earning a living for ourselves based off of our hard work we have put in through college and even high school (and for some of us, grad school).
Another exciting part of graduating is choosing where you get to live. That’s right, no more lottery numbers or arguments with your roommates over whether the apartments or the quads are better (apartments!). The choice is completely up to you on whether to find an apartment or go back to living with your parents. I personally cannot wait to go back to living with my parents because unlike the time I spent at home during high school, I will be able to drink on the weekdays, and I will no longer have a bed time (take that, Mom!).
Other top things to look forward to after graduation include no more buying textbooks, attending friend’s weddings, getting out of that Etown bubble, still using your college ID as a student discount, not running into the person you hooked up with the next day in the cafeteria (highly unlikely in the real world) and vacation/sick days.
