Adjusting to senior pressures

Welcome to your senior year; it’s going to be the best year of your life.

It still feels weird to say that word. Senior. I am a senior. This is the last year that I will have to make my mark on this school. This is the last time I will go to Blue Angel/Gaslight, the Taylor Richmond dance, and all the other crazy activities that SMU puts on.

But this year is also about manyhardships: “I must have an internship. I must find a job by the end of the year.” This seems to be the mantra on many seniors’ lips. This is on top of all the classes, homework, and a general social life, of course.
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This is going to be the best year of our lives? What universe did that saying come from? It was obviously said by a person who didn’t have to write three papers, to study for a test, and to read six chapters, all on top of working a part-time job and doing the massive amount of work for my internship.

Now this, of course, is an exaggeration. But sometimes, when you get down to it, a senior’s day is just as chaotic as that description.

The only advice I can give to my fellow struggling senior is: Breathe. Inhale through the nose, and out through the mouth.

Also, don’t be afraid to talk to someone. Whether it’s a roommate, a close friend, an advisor, a trusted professor, or a complete stranger, it helps to let out all of the emotions.

Ask for help. A good place to start, especially when it comes to the dreaded words of internships and jobs, is Career Services. They will answer any questions you have and try to point you in the right direction.

The last thing that I can prescribe to you is this: Senior year is supposed to be the best year of your life. So during those really stressful periods, take a chance to look around. Take mental photos of this campus, your friends, and the activities that you participate in. And remember, you are not alone. We are taking the journey together. And through this column, I hope to be with you every step of the way.

Welcome to your senior year. It’s going to be the best, and the worst, year of your life.