Are you ready to move on to the next chapter of your life?
Well, before you do, here are 23 things to do before graduating from college!
Don’t leave any loose ends!
Onto The Next Chapter
You will definitely miss college life once you graduate and head on to the next chapter of your life.
So, before graduating from college, make sure that you accomplish some of these important things first!
20 Things To Do Before Graduating From College
- Accomplish all graduation requirements
- Get your graduation cap and gown
- Talk to your organization
- Request for transcripts
- Save a copy of your thesis
- Get a recommendation
- Prepare your message or speech
- Talk to your superiors
- Finish all commitments
- Reflect on your past learnings
- Reflect on your future
- Fix your things
- Clean your dorm
- Pay all balances
- Thank your professors
- Take a short break
- Pamper yourself
- Go out with friends
- Finalize your resume
- Submit early applications for work
- Take your graduation pictures
- Create and send your graduation invitations
- Plan your graduation day
1. Accomplish all graduation requirements
Don’t wait for the deadline. As soon as you know that you are part of the graduating class, immediately accomplish all the requirements that you need to submit in order to graduate.
2. Get your graduation cap and gown
Your graduation cap and gown would either be provided automatically by your college or be assigned for you to rent.
Either way, you should get or rent your graduation cap and gown as soon as it’s available.
3. Talk to your organization
Before graduating from college, talk to your org mates about your graduation and your plans.
They will definitely give you the support that you need.
Tell them to maintain open communication with you even when you graduate.
4. Request for transcripts
Even though transcripts would be available at a later time, it is best to request them as early as possible so that your Dean’s Office or Admin Office will already know that you need them after graduation.
5. Save a copy of your thesis
Before graduating from college, be sure to save a copy of your thesis or research, whether hard or soft copy.
Also, make sure to provide a copy to your college so that they can upload it to the college repository.
6. Get a recommendation
A recommendation letter will significantly help you in your future job applications.
Why not ask for recommendations from your adviser, Dean, or other professors before graduating from college?
7. Prepare your message or speech
If you are receiving an award during the graduation rites, be prepared with your message or speech.
Draft it weeks or days before graduation day, and have it checked by your mentor for comments and feedback.
Finally, print out the final version and rehearse your speech.
8. Talk to your superiors
Your superiors at the org or your professors will be glad to share with you nuggets of information that you can bring and use once you graduate.
Remember that these people have more experience than you, and this could be the reason why their ideas and opinions will be beneficial for you.
9. Finish all commitments
Never graduate without finishing all academic and extracurricular commitments.
It would feel fulfilling to have finished everything in college before finally stepping out into the real world.
10. Reflect on your past learnings
Before graduating from college, take the time to reflect on your past learnings.
You’ve had four or five years in college, and that is a great deal of time to acquire knowledge and understanding.
Go through your past notes, lessons, syllabus, books, readings, and exam papers, and try to really appreciate and synthesize everything that you have learned.
11. Reflect on your future
Also, take the time to reflect on your future.
Once you graduate from college, you will finally and truly be independent and capable to live in the real world that is full of challenges and trials.
Before graduating from college, think about your career and plan for it so that all the hard work that you have done in college will bear fruit.
12. Fix your things
Your things at college might have piled up because of studying and/or living there for years.
Now is the perfect time to fix your things and prepare them for moving out.
What you can do is to make a list of all your stuff and things so that you will not forget anything.
13. Clean your dorm
Your dorm will always be a special place for you.
It is where you lived, studied, cried, laughed, rested, and survived the way of the college of life.
Now that you are leaving it after graduation, it is best to clean your entire dorm.
That way, the next one who will live in it will enjoy the place as much as you did.
Related: The Best Dorm Cleaning Supplies You Need
14. Pay all balances
You will not be able to graduate on time if you have remaining balances.
Before graduating from college, make sure to pay all your dues and document all your receipts for future reference.
Related: How To Pay For School Without Going Into Debt
15. Thank your professors
You can thank your professors by simply saying thank you to them personally.
But if you’re the kind of person who is thoughtful and appreciative, a simple thank you note or thank you gift will be very much appreciated by those who will receive it.
16. Take a short break
A week or a day before graduation day, you could go on a break by going out to a nearby café or to somewhere nice.
This will give you positive energy for the special day that is to come.
17. Pamper yourself
Be graduating from college, why not pamper yourself by going to a salon or spa? Get a haircut, get a foot and hand spa, or get a mani-pedi.
More so, prepare what you will wear underneath your toga for graduation and for the graduation party afterward.
18. Go out with friends
Some of your friends will go on a very different path than yours.
Most of the time, all of you will go on separate ways after graduation. So before graduating from college, allot a special time to go and hang out with your friends.
Congratulate each other and boost each other’s confidence for the next chapter of life.
19. Finalize your resume
Now that you are about to graduate from college, you can now finalize the resume that you drafted earlier in your senior year.
Attach your latest photo in it and make sure that all the details in your resume are well-written, clear, correct, and true.
Once you finalize your draft, request your mentor and/or adviser to give feedback.
Related: 15 Ways To Improve Your College Resume
20. Submit early applications for work
Before graduating from college, you could go the extra mile and have an early start with your job applications.
Since you already finalized your resume, you are good to go.
This would help you get interviews as early as possible so that you will get a job in no time.
Related: How To Get Your Dream Internship
21. Plan your graduation day
Time to plan for the big day. Like, what are you going to wear for graduation?
What’s about your hair and nails? Plus, where are you going to host your graduation after-party?
Are you hosting your graduation party at home, at a restaurant, or at a park?
22. Take your graduation pictures
Yes, it’s time to take your graduation pictures for your graduation invitations!
Taking graduation pictures is always so much fun, especially if you take these pictures with a few of your college friends!
So remember to take your graduation pictures!
They will definitely help you capture a very important milestone in your life.
23. Create and send your graduation invitations
Graduation is always more special when friends and family are at the ceremony to celebrate with you.
So go ahead and create these beautiful, inspiring invitations with your graduation pictures and send them out!
Have fun on your special day with your friends and family!
After all, you deserve it!