Graduation can be one of the most amazing, frightening, exhilarating and down right terrifying times of a college student’s life. Do you see a pattern here? Most people have mixed feelings about graduation. Will I find a job? Will I ever see my college friends again?
Those are just two of the many questions running through a senior’s mind in those weeks leading up to the big day. After surveying some graduating seniors and recent grads, we discovered that the biggest thing they’ve told us is to never have regrets. So whether you’ll be a freshman next year or you’re graduating next week, take this graduation advice from the people who have experienced it firsthand:
1.) Iron The Gown
We swear the rest of the list won’t be this lame, but seriously, don’t walk down the aisle with a wrinkled ensemble. You’re a real person now, so either run to the cleaners or whip out your own iron a few days before graduation (in case something goes wrong) and get that gown in pristine condition. Don’t wait until the morning of to take it out of the plastic package only to realize the last kid who wore it apparently went to a buffalo wing joint right after.
2.) Friends: Quality Vs. Quantity
If you look around during the ceremony and realize you only truly know about five kids, you may be worried. But college isn’t the popularity contest high school might have been. It’s about finding those people you truly connected with: perhaps your future best man or maid of honor? If you don’t have a thousand people to scream a fake “HIIIIIIII LOLZ” to and take an Instagram picture with after the keynote speaker, that’s okay. Your four friends and you are going to do just fine. “Remember who was there to hug you when you were miserable. Hang on to them,” said Hofstra University soon-to-be alumna Brittany Auger. “At the end of the day, they’re worth a million kinda-sorta friends.”
3.) Speaking Of Friends…Spend Time With Them
“Get together for some drinks with friends you’ve known since freshman year to reminisce about old memories,” said recent Michigan State University graduate Chris Matthes. “You’ll realize how far you’ve come and how quickly time has passed.”
4.) Hug Your Parents
After all, they are the reason you were able to go to college at all. Heck, even if they didn’t spend a dime and it was all you, hug them for the moral support they’ve given you in your four years. A simple thank you and a good attitude might blow them away. Ask to take a photo with them instead of your friends after the ceremony and they may just shed a tear.
5.) Make Sure You Have No Regrets
Hopefully you took the last few weeks before graduation to ensure that you have no regrets. You made out with that crush you’ve had, splurged on your graduation dress, got your friends together for a flash mob and ran through the library screaming during quiet hours. This is supposed to be the best time of your life, so why spend your last moments behaving?
Photo: at http://www.cba.csus.edu/biz/commencement.html
