Story by Morgan Yuvienco
I left high school with an incredible 57 college credits under my belt. Because of this, I came to Chapman as a sophomore with an ambitious plan to graduate one year early. So I’ve stuffed my educational plan with 15-credit semesters, putting me on the right track for pursuing a BFA as well as a minor in just three super-swift years.
The comfort and familiarity of Chapman will soon be a memory, as I venture out into the real world. It’s a hard transition to think about, especially when I would much rather be doing anything else than pining over what the hell I’m doing with my future.
But I’ve reached a point where I feel like I should be thinking about after graduation plans, instead of convincing myself they don’t need to exist right now.
I am halfway through my meticulously thought-out “Three Year Plan,” and graduation is fast approaching. It’s not for an entire year, but I’ve already got cold feet over it. I wish I could promise myself that everything comes easy when you leave college, but I think everyone knows that isn’t the truth.
I used to become so overwhelmed by the idea of graduating early, only fear would cloud my mind. Now, I think I’m truly starting to accept it – and embrace it.
With an extra year, I could work at finding a job in the film industry right away, or I could travel the world.
I could happily work day jobs, gain more experience with internships, and work on feeling more comfortable completely on my own.
Or I could simply just take a year for myself.
I’ve figured out it’s not going to be laid out for me like brickwork. I used to get stressed realizing that I don’t have a formulated, advanced version of my “Three Year Plan” for post-graduation. Graduating college is a struggle for anyone, but it truly doesn’t have to be.
I won’t be pushing myself to stabilize my career by the age of 25 just because I feel like I have to. I’m anticipating the highs and the lows, and coming to terms with everything in between.
So, my answer to the dreaded “What are you going to do after graduation?” is: “I don’t know.” But I do know I will graciously walk through life, welcoming whatever comes my way.
