An Open Letter To Everyone Entering Their Final Year Of Their Undergrad
Dear final-year student,
You’re probably concerned; you’re probably asking a lot of questions. What happens when I graduate? Should I have a job by now? For me, the notion of studying has been my security blanket for the last 17 years. And for the last 21 years, there was always a plan to follow and someone to guide me along the way.
Life so far has been a checklist. We go to kindergarten, where we first learn to interact. We make some friends, participate in activities, and get really good – or not so good – at colouring. We conquer going to the bathroom on our own (most of the time), and we often decide on our first crush.
Life so far has been a checklist… It’s simple: when you finish one grade, you go to the next.
Before we know it, our parents are tapping us on the back, saying that school will be fun. We land ourselves in a real classroom, where the true education begins. Each year you achieve certain things: in grade two you were the best speller in your class. In grade four you were in charge of feeding your pet fish. In grade seven you were a class leader. The end of primary school saw you graduate with a cohort you had been with for the past seven years. Some of your friends end up at your high school, while others don’t. Some of these people you remain friends with, others you will never see again.
Flash-forward a few fast years, and you find yourself sitting in high school chemistry thinking that nothing could be much harder. It’s simple: when you finish one grade, you go to the next. You struggle through the teenage years, you make some lifelong friends and you meet some amazing teachers who impact your life incredibly.
Enter: university. Oh, how you wish you were back in your Grade 12 Chemistry class. You realise that there’s no one tapping you on the back saying it will be fun, and definitely no one pushing you to hand in that assignment. Despite the difficulty that you may face at university, you manage to push through by going to social events and befriending like-minded people. That four or five-year degree begins to fly by, and now you find yourself entering your last year, slightly unsure of what your next life move will be. Personally, I sit here asking what will be on the next part of my checklist?
Instead of one door to enter, there are many, and what if I enter the wrong one?
It’s best to just pick a door, and begin the marathon of life.
As the Cheshire Cat said to Alice, “It doesn’t matter which way you go.” It’s best to just pick a door, and begin the marathon of life. If you burn out early, you can go back and pick another door. There’s no such thing as a wrong decision unless you decide never to open one. So pick a door and start running. If the last four or five years of your degree has taught you one thing, it’s that time flies by; there’s no time for hesitation!
For now, you should take advantage of the time you have remaining at university. Go hard: go to every class, go to every event, and don’t forget to go to the uni bar on a Friday afternoon – it will be worth it.
Forget about the fear of being in limbo for longer than you want to be; forget the notion that life is just a checklist.
Wishing the best to every final year student out there,
Ailish
(Lead image: Alice In Wonderland/Disney)