How to Prepare For Your Senior Year of College

I’m officially a senior in college. Yikes. It seems like just yesterday I was hanging up posters in my freshman year dorm and complaining about the lack of air conditioning. Senior year of high school was constantly filled with the pressure to make the most of everything whether it be prom or any random weekend in the year. I can only imagine senior year of college will be the same way except a million times worse because there’s not another round of schooling after (unless you’re headed to grad school or something).

While the pressure to make the most of everything is stressful, there is some good in it. I mean, we’re going to be graduating college, which, is a huge deal. While the senior year of college is undoubtedly going to be kind of sad, I have no doubt that it’ll be packed with fun memories and events. Here’s how to prepare for your senior year of college in order to ensure your year has the least stress and most fun possible. Or, at least, how you think I can and how I’ll try to. No stress is not guarunteed.

1. Make a senior year bucket list.

I suggest breaking it up into categories, one for “things” one for “places” and one for “food.” Research the prettiest hikes, most interesting museums, best food places and school traditions and compile a huge list for yourself. This will be perfect for weekends when you’re not sure what to do but you want to do something.

Some ideas for this might include attending the last homecoming game, getting the famous ice cream sundae from the local creamery, hosting a brunch with friends or even hiking the mountain near your college that you’ve been avoiding but secretly want to check out.

2. Make a list of companies you’d like to work for.

I’ve been keeping a running list since high school of my dream companies and it keeps on growing. This list will be incredibly helpful when you start your job hunt. It never hurts to start preparing for your job hunt and this is a fairly not stressful way to do so. I like to have my top five companies at the top of the list and then follow it with other companies I would also love to work for.

Tip: If you’re feeling extra, you can also add links to their “CAREERS” pages or the locations of the offices for future reference. Google Sheets is great for creating an in-depth and organized collection of these companies.

3. Refresh your LinkedIn.

Ensure that it’s updated with the latest information, follow a few people, make some new connections and make sure your picture is perfect. While LinkedIn may not be the most exciting platform, it can definitely be helpful to have an updated and clean page going into senior year. It can also be helpful to occasionally share interesting articles and posts to increase your LinkedIn activity.

Tip: I like to keep the LinkedIn app downloaded on my phone and share articles now and then when I’m commuting to my internship or walking to class. It’s a little more productive than just watching Snapchat stories or reading click bait on BuzzFeed (even though I do both of those things, too).

4. Start saving and keeping track of your finances.

Being a real adult is just around the corner. As I’ve mentioned many times before, I’m awful at keeping track of my finances. There are a ton of apps you can download to help you or you can even just download your bank’s app and keep an eye on it. When you graduate, it’ll be helpful to have some money saved.

5. Ensure you’re on track to graduate.

Visit your advisor. Double check your credits. It’s better to find out sooner rather than later if you need to take an extra course or realize you’re missing one you need to graduate. If you are behind, try to fix it ASAP by talking to your advisor or academic center.

6. Use up all of your college resources while you still can.

Especially the career services center!  More ideas for resources to utilize can be found in my How to Get The Most Out of College post.

7. Mark all important dates and events on your calendar.

Ensure you won’t miss out on any crucial dates whether it be when to order your cap and gown or a senior picnic. This also includes career fairs and course-related deadlines!

8. Follow CEOs and companies you admire.

Ensure you’re following idols and role models on Twitter and Facebook. Start closely following companies you admire. This will not only help you stay informed during your senior year of college but also it will help you see if there are any new job openings or opportunities.

That being said, make sure your social media pages are cleaned up. Don’t follow your favorite newscasters if you’ve got a sketchy Twitter profile.

How will you (or did you) prepare for senior year?