My Thoughts on Graduating

Instagram: @officialjoybartolome

Well, I did it! I got the degree from the school, that’s then supposed to prepare me for the next step in life – the working world. I’m still not quite sure how to feel and honestly, part of me feels like I should still be coming back in the fall to sit in lecture, take notes, work on group projects, and strive for those grades. An even smaller part of me is quite nostalgic that that’s no longer going to be a part of my life.

Dress: Banana Republic ($23)

PC: @genelynjayephotography

I guess the unexplainable thing about post-grad life is the ‘what now?’ question that you’re asking yourself every day. As of this writing, I still don’t have a job lined up, I’m continuing to interview, I’m continuing to apply, and little by little that panic that nothing is going to work out is creeping up.

I remember freshman year how ambitious I was. I started at the University of Washington wanting to study International Studies so that one day, I could work on policy and make a change. I also loved learning about the world, governments, and globalization. After some time taking those courses, I realized academia wasn’t for me because I hated the long readings and honestly, I got bored too quickly.

Location: Suzzallo Steps

All of a sudden, I found myself taking business classes and applying to the major I never thought I would want to be in. I remember telling my roommate, “I could never be a business major, they don’t notice the other aspects of the world.” By this, I meant (and believed) that most business students didn’t think about periphery nations nor cared for the rest of the world. Admittedly, sometimes this was true, but there were also some inspiring business students I met during my time at Foster.

Undergrad went by so quickly, but at the same time, so many things happened and every single year, I changed into who I am now. And for the most part, I’m not mad about it!

Location: The Quad

College has been so unpredictable and you can plan your entire career path, but it doesn’t necessarily go the way you want it to. You make friends, you lose friends. You grow up, you do poorly in class, you find new things you enjoy. You meet interesting people; you meet some not so great people. It’s this whole whirlwind of a time that you can’t explain because it’s really the first experience you’re wholly shaping for yourself from the classes you take to the foods you eat.

I’ve learned quite a bit as an undergrad (which I’ll probably write about later), but it’s been less than a week since commencement and everything is still fresh. Maybe more cohesive thoughts will come and maybe one day I’ll write a story-time post on weird things that happened in college, but for now I’m in this in-between where reality hasn’t quite hit.

This whole post is kind of a mess, and extremely vague, but what things do you want to know about college? College in a big city? College as a Filipino woman? College as a business student? College as a _______?

Shoes: Target

What do you want to know about college life? Leave me suggestions below or email me coffeecreamcollege@gmail.com!