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orichalcum at 06:05pm on 28/05/2007 under graduation advice
orichalcum at 06:05pm on 28/05/2007 under graduation adviceCongratulations to the class of 2007, in whatever field!
A few pieces of advice for the real world:
1. Get recommendations from any professors who know and like you now. They will not remember you in 5 years if you unexpectedly decide to go to grad/professional school.
2. Living with roommates you don't know already well is risky - not so much in terms of physical security, but in terms of emotional stress and anxiety in your own home. If you do enter into a roommate arrangement, try not to be the subletter in an apartment where your roommate is your landlord. Invariably, power dynamics get messy.
3. Have serious conversations with significant others about the kind of life you want to be leading in 5/10 years, and whether your desires are compatible. But remember that people do change - not so often deep beliefs, but habits and levels of maturity (both up and down, unfortunately.)
4. Travel. Now. While you are unencumbered and fancy-free. It costs much less than you might think, especially if you're willing to avoid traditional tourist zones like France and England.
5. If you are planning to move for school or job, consider both going to the best possible job/school you can, and the community/lifestyle in the place you will be moving to. Some jobs can only be done in one place or are rare enough to forbid geographical flexibility. But if you know you'll be miserable in small-town Kentucky, even if the best job in the world is there, don't go for it. You have to decide where to make the tradeoff.
6. If you don't know how already, learn to cook. I recommend the Joy of Cooking. Cooking food yourself most of the time will save you $100 a week, at least, even if you only eat fast food. If you have the discipline, making large meals and freezing leftovers works great. If you don't, Trader Joe's has awesome quick frozen meals for one or two.
7. Money will likely be tight in the next several years. If you can at all, pay off your credit cards every month, and only have 1 or 2. If you need extra money, loans, esp. student loans, are at a much better rate. Nevertheless, try and set aside a small amount of money each month to be dedicated to pleasure - eating out, seeing movies or plays, traveling to see family or friends. You won't regret it.
Other suggestions?
A few pieces of advice for the real world:
1. Get recommendations from any professors who know and like you now. They will not remember you in 5 years if you unexpectedly decide to go to grad/professional school.
2. Living with roommates you don't know already well is risky - not so much in terms of physical security, but in terms of emotional stress and anxiety in your own home. If you do enter into a roommate arrangement, try not to be the subletter in an apartment where your roommate is your landlord. Invariably, power dynamics get messy.
3. Have serious conversations with significant others about the kind of life you want to be leading in 5/10 years, and whether your desires are compatible. But remember that people do change - not so often deep beliefs, but habits and levels of maturity (both up and down, unfortunately.)
4. Travel. Now. While you are unencumbered and fancy-free. It costs much less than you might think, especially if you're willing to avoid traditional tourist zones like France and England.
5. If you are planning to move for school or job, consider both going to the best possible job/school you can, and the community/lifestyle in the place you will be moving to. Some jobs can only be done in one place or are rare enough to forbid geographical flexibility. But if you know you'll be miserable in small-town Kentucky, even if the best job in the world is there, don't go for it. You have to decide where to make the tradeoff.
6. If you don't know how already, learn to cook. I recommend the Joy of Cooking. Cooking food yourself most of the time will save you $100 a week, at least, even if you only eat fast food. If you have the discipline, making large meals and freezing leftovers works great. If you don't, Trader Joe's has awesome quick frozen meals for one or two.
7. Money will likely be tight in the next several years. If you can at all, pay off your credit cards every month, and only have 1 or 2. If you need extra money, loans, esp. student loans, are at a much better rate. Nevertheless, try and set aside a small amount of money each month to be dedicated to pleasure - eating out, seeing movies or plays, traveling to see family or friends. You won't regret it.
Other suggestions?
impressed
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