By: Elizabeth Bretl (brete28@uwgb.edu)
Graduation is a time for celebration, the feeling of accomplishment, and the completion of a college journey.
However, the experience is not always filled with joy. The senior year becomes packed with endless to-do lists. Securing an internship, fulfilling credit requirements, searching for a job, managing personal challenges, and planning for life after graduation all contribute to an extensive workload. The pressure to navigate these responsibilities can be a silent struggle for many seniors.
When discussing life after graduation, Isabella Herman, a senior, stated, “I am nervous but also excited. Many skills that I need in the real world I have learned from college. I feel like I am prepared to enter that chapter in my life because of everything I have experienced, but I am also nervous to start fresh. I know there are many more things I have yet to learn in life, and I feel ready for that.”
Emily Bretl, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and Marriage and Family Therapy Candidate (MFTC) said the following: “It feels important to have a plan, use your resources, ask a lot of questions, and do your own research as well. The biggest combat to anxiety is gaining a sense of your own control. Starting small is also helpful… doing a little research a day (starting a timer for 20 minutes, completing one section of a ‘next step’ plan, putting out 5 resumes to different jobs in one day, etc.). Creating building blocks for yourself is the greatest combat to anxiety and pressure of finding a job and figuring out the next steps.”
There are resources available on and off campus that are willing to assist with the transition.
Mental Health Services
Managing responsibilities during senior year can present challenges. A lot of emotions arise within seniors. Senior Devin Argall said “that making sure that I have enough credits” has been one of his stressful moments during senior year. Herman plays softball at UWGB and said this year has been the busiest. “The most stressful part about senior year has been the lack of time. I am taking 18 credits during our season so that is one reason, but I also think the classes this semester has been more challenging. I have managed this by dedicating specific days to homework/assignment days so that I do not overwhelm myself at the end of the week,” Herman explained.
As things get busy, Bretl said: “Taking the opportunity to know yourself more is the best and most effective way to take care of your mental health.” Outside of campus, Emily Bretl runs her own practice in Denver, Colorado, called Becoming Therapy Services.
The Wellness Center on campus is another resource that provides medical and counseling services. “There are counselors readily available to meet a student in need of an urgent or crisis during office hours between 8:00 am – 4:30 pm, as well as medical services,” said Fue Lee, Master of Social Work (MSW), Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), and counselor at UWGB.
With a wide range of treatments, students can receive the appropriate level of care. Lee stated, “Providing a wide range of treatment modalities along with treating anxiety, depression, and relationship concerns, and offering a relaxation room with a hydromassage table and biofeedback therapy are available to students to utilize. There are skills workshops providing psychoeducation and mindfulness techniques, specialized groups such as the grief group that students can sign up for and participate throughout the semester.”
Lee added, “The counseling services are a short-term service, allotting 12 sessions per academic calendar year. We provide counseling service year-round, including over winter break, spring break, and summer, if the student will be enrolled for the fall semester.”
The medical and wellness exams are free and include a list of medical evaluations such as physical exams, women’s health exams, screening of sexually transmitted infections (STI), TB screening, cough/ear pain/sore throat/minor injuries, and more. “The medical staff can provide some lab services and a temporary medication prescription for medical and mental health,” said Lee.
Uncertainty can be a significant concern for graduating seniors. Talking about worries outside graduation, Herman expressed, “I am worried about not liking my future career or not being good at it. I am scared that my future career will not make me happy, and I wasted my time getting my degree.”
Herman is not the only senior with this worry, Argall voiced a common concern in simpler fashion: “Not being able to find a job that I like.”
“Any individual can start to identify the core fear of their uncertainty. Whether it is self-expectation to get a desirable job, be able to take care of your family, or commit to relocating elsewhere, identifying what is contributing to your uncertainty is a start. Checking the facts may be helpful to combat life after graduation, but also allowing yourself to feel and imagine what to expect after graduation may help you learn to cope ahead and better engage in stress management,” said Lee.
To cope with the pressure of having everything figured out, Bretl said, “Release yourself of the pressure to have it all figured out because that is literally the most impossible thing to attain in this world. Not one single person has everything figured out. Ground yourself in this idea, even daily. Not one person has everything figured out.”
One key takeaway is that seniors are not alone in this transition and the feelings that come with it. “I wish I knew and believed that it is okay to ask for help, and it doesn’t make you weak. I always felt like I had to push through things alone and have learned that that is not the case,” expressed Herman.
There are resources to support graduates. When asked what advice he has with anyone struggling with mental health, Argall said: “Make sure that you take time to yourself every once in a while and take a break from homework.” Herman, asked the same question, said: “When you are struggling with mental health, prioritize yourself. Do things that will make you happy and let you relax. Give grace; take things one step at a time.”
To combat the feelings of life after graduation, Bretl suggested the following: “…time, empowerment, and small movements toward the direction of the life that you want to live are the most important. I guess I would start with that. Think about the type of life you want to live.”
Taking on the world outside of college is the next step for seniors. “Find power and excitement with the position you are in – you have a clean slate to take on the ‘real world’ and there is so much empowerment in that,” said Bretl.
Being a senior is challenging, but most seniors and professionals find it important for seniors to take care of their mental health.