7 Things You Should Know Before You Graduate

I didn't have it in me to cry over an entire blog post about how sad I am to leave college. So instead I decided to keep things informative and only cry at the end.

1. Start getting it together sooner (rather than later)

I’m not kidding. Start joining clubs, getting involved, getting internships, preparing your resume and doing mock interviews as soon as you can. The sooner you start doing this the easier it will be to fill your resume and get internships and jobs. I had my first internship after my freshman year with absolutely no experience and without taking a single marketing class. And while I was very overwhelmed and absolutely terrified-it paid off. It helped set the tone of what I like and don’t like, what kind of company I wanted to work for, what area I wanted to work in, and how to handle an office setting. Don’t wait until you have everything together-because you never will. Start doing stuff NOW! It’ll make your senior year way less stressful.

2. SAVE SAVE SAVE

If you’re like me, once the big girl job starts, your parent’s money goes right out the window. (*cries) I started working my freshman year and really tried to balance saving and spending. Don’t get me wrong, I love to spend my money on a manicure or new pair of shoes, but you also want to have money in the bank to fall back on once the real world starts. It’s comforting knowing you have a little extra spending money while you’re getting on your feet and adjusting to life on your own.

3. You should have already started accumulating your wardrobe

Whether you’re going to grad school or into the real world, Lulu shorts and tank tops are probably not acceptable. Don’t wait until after graduation to acquire an entire professional wardrobe. Buy things as they go on sale or as you see it! If you see a nice pea coat go on sale that would be perfect for work-grab it now! If not you’ll be freezing and having to spend double to get what you could’ve already bought half price. This goes the same for blazers, business pants, and other things. If you slowly start buying pieces here and there, your wallet won’t take such a big hit after graduation.

4. Following the last point-buy transitional pieces

I absolutely love Loft, Express, H&M and other stores that offer pieces that can work for both work and play. Start looking or stuff that you could dress up with a blazer and heels or wear alone with a cute pair of ripped jeans. I mean, if you’re going to have to buy work clothes you might as well get some other uses out of them. And of course, make them cute.

5. Take more pictures

Don’t get me wrong-if you have me on Facebook, you know I have A TON of pictures. But… I always wish I would have taken more. Sure, I have pictures at date parties and game days but honestly my favorite memories are blowing up the air mattress and laying in our living room binge watching tv all day. Doesn’t matter if you look good or if your hair is done, just take more pictures-they make the best memories!

6. Don’t stress as much

I think every senior at some point realizes, “holy cow why am I so stressed? I’m literally about to graduate.” Don’t wait for that moment, remember this blog post senior year and don’t stress. (Unless you are borderline failing..then you should stress) But for the most part you’re going to graduate, enjoy your time and don’t spend all of it in the library. You will regret it.

7. Leaving is way harder than you can imagine

Here comes the sappy part. Okay, to be honest I’m not a super emotional person. I mean I’m a girl and I cried watching My Girl and when I lay in bed and watch Ellen episodes when she gives back to families in need, I tend to shed a few tears. But I never ever thought freshman year of college I would be sitting with my roommates who I had only met a few months back crying my eyes out. I literally could not believe I had to go home for the summer and leave these people that were strangers a few months before. I didn’t know why I was so emotional but man I cried a good chunk of my 12-hour drive back to Florida.

They don’t tell you that freshman year will be the absolute best. They don’t tell you that living with your best friends will be the best years of your life. They don’t tell you that you probably won’t have a single regret except that you appreciated it a little more.

I remember leaving college freshman year and thinking that it was way better than I could have imagined. I mean, I thought my life was over since I had to be at home for 2 months. I felt that way every time I had to leave. So you can imagine how senior year went. I had 3 more years of feeling like college was even better than I could have imagined. And I had to leave it all.

I think it was February when my friends and I realized- wow, we’re graduating in a few months. It was like it had always been in the back of our minds but we didn’t want to accept it. It kind of began to hit us that the semester would be filled with a lot of lasts. Last happy hour, last taco mama night, last night at the bars, last walk around town, last time going to classes, last time we’d be a part of this little town.

It’s so hard guys.

These girls become your family, this town becomes your home, your roommates become the people who you lean on through everything. You literally are surrounded by the greatest people for 4 whole years just to have to say good bye. And y’all- IT SUCKS. Your friends can’t walk over whenever they want anymore. Your days can’t include running to happy hour at 3pm when class gets cancelled. You can’t come home at 2 a.m and make pasta with your roommates. You don’t get to meet for lunch at your sorority house to complain about your classes.

I don’t know if I can fully explain how hard it is to leave college. You probably won’t know this feeling until you’re standing in your empty apartment, your car packed up, with your best friends and realize, this is it. No more sleepovers, late nights, drinking wine and playing card games, making dinner or grabbing margs. It’s the unknown of looking around and not knowing when you’re honestly going to see them again.

So basically, it’s really hard. It’s so hard to indulge whole heartedly into a new town, a new place, a new atmosphere, and new people-just to leave them.

But do it anyway. Have no regrets, meet new people, go out of your comfort zone, and enjoy every single moment. It will go by quicker than you think, and leaving it all will be one of the hardest things.