The excitement and impending doom of graduation

By: Emily Fehrman / Opinion Page Editor

The time has come for Hutchinson Community College sophomores to get their applications for graduation done, and decide if they’re moving onto a four-year college or jumping into the real world.

But let’s try to keep a level head and not completely lose our minds.

With the end of the semester rapidly approaching, I’m sure many of us are feeling something relatively similar. For me, it’s a mixture of excitement, pride, dread, relief, and a hint of fear. OK, maybe a little more than a hint of fear.

You would think that with graduation getting closer that the levels of anxiety would dwindle, but instead, mine just increased. However, I do feel for the students who came their freshman year and had a difficult time adjusting to the campus atmosphere. They’ve finally gotten used to campus and its students, have a good feel of the school, finding comfort in the normality that comes with the regular school year.

Being afraid of change, in your surroundings and/or people, is perfectly normal. Having to pick up a new daily routine, make new connections, and if needed, moving into a new place or state, are all major stressors. 

When I was graduating high school, I was ecstatic just thinking about moving out and going to college. Absolutely couldn’t wait for it. Now, I’m graduating from our lovely college, and all I can think of is how I can’t wait to get out of here. 

For some reason, I had the audacity to get two associate degrees, and yet still have no clue what I want to do for the rest of my life. But here’s the thing – it’s OK to not have everything figured out. Life isn’t supposed to be perfect or have a set-in-stone plan or path to be followed. Sure, that would be ideal, making all of our lives a lot easier. But that’s just not how this stuff works.

If you’re stressing, my best advice is to try and see that you aren’t alone in these fears. It will find a way to work out, but don’t forget that you still have to put in the effort. Go see a career counselor or talk to your advisor for some pointers to try and help you get things figured out. You may not know what your calling is, but that doesn’t mean you won’t find it.

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