The five stages of realizing you’re graduating
For seniors, this year has been an emotional one. These feelings can be felt all at once, or over the course of the school year, and there are even multiple stages. Here are the five stages of realizing you’re graduating.
1.Excitement
In the beginning of the year — whether you are a senior, fifth-year or beyond — your last year at UC Davis is exciting. Everything that you’ve experienced these past few years, the good and the bad, have led up to this final year. So you were determined to make it the best year ever.
2. Worry
It’s in the middle of your second-to-last quarter and you’re trying to register for classes next quarter. You’re waitlisted for a class that’s required and you’re pretty high up on the list. You think to yourself, “What if I can’t graduate because I can’t get into this one class?”
Alternatively, you are currently struggling in a class and unsure about whether or not you will pass. Whatever the case, these two situations are pretty a common and scary situation for seniors.
3. Denial
Once the initial doubts have worked themselves out, the idea of graduation starts to actually sink in. Suddenly, it doesn’t seem as appealing as it once did. You have grown accustomed to living in Davis, including the unbearably hot weather during spring and summer and the unpredictable weather in fall and winter. Davis is your second home and although it took you to this point, you don’t want to acknowledge the fact that you’ll be leaving soon.
4. Sadness
What makes graduation even less appealing is the realization that things are going to get a lot more serious and real for you afterwards. Whether you are going into the real world and workplace or going off to grad school, you’re not getting any younger. That thought terrifies you. Neither of those pathways are easy and they both come with their own challenges and you’re not sure you want to start dealing with either so soon.
5. Acceptance
Graduation is less than two weeks away. Whether you are ready or not, it’s going to happen. The hard work you put into the past few years have finally paid off and you’re proud of yourself for making it this far. Whatever happens after graduation, you are ready to embrace it and start a new chapter of your life.
Written by: Jacqueline Chu — features@theaggie.org
