Spring Around the Corner

A year ago I was dreading springtime. I had only two months until graduation and was unsure of what I would be doing the following year. I busied myself in writing my graduation thesis--partly out of necessity, and partly because it kept my mind off my impending cap and gown. All told, transitioning from college to the "real world" was the most challenging adjustment of my life. My college was made up of a tiny, tight-knit, women's community, in which the vast majority of students lived on campus. We lounged in bathing suits in the middle of the campus quad (the way only Southern Californians could) and spent entire days curled up together on our dumpy dorm mattresses watching old movies and eating entire boxes of Wheat Thins in one sitting. We designed homemade costumes for theme parties using only scraps of fabric and industrial strength glue, and we never felt the least bit childish about it. While other college students moved into apartments by their junior year, the ladies of Scripps relished having more time in Claremont, the oasis of an otherwise industrial wasteland: Southern California's Inland Empire.

As you can imagine, moving to Boston was quite an adjustment.

I certainly don't mean for this blog entry to be a downer, but if anyone who is still in college is reading this right now, they probably understand all too well how I felt a year ago. Spring Break is over, graduation is around the corner and, unless you are exceptionally lucky, you're probably not 100% sure what's coming next for you.

With this in mind, I've compiled a list of resources I wish I had known about when I first graduated back in 2007:

Life After College
This is a fantastic resource. Life After College contains information on everything from finding a job, applying to grad school, and managing your funds. The site even includes links to useful cooking websites, for those of you weaning themselves off cafeteria food.

Craigslist

It's probably silly to think that any of you haven't heard of Craigslist, but here's a reminder: Craigslist is AMAZING. Not only does Craigslist have a comprehensive list of available jobs, it also has a marketplace for inexpensive furniture and housing. This is a good place to start if you're a new grad.

Meetup
About to go live in a completely new city? Relocating to a town where you know absolutely no one? Take a look at meetup.com. The site is home to thousands of clubs and organizations in every US city imaginable. It's a great way to meet people and get involved in your community.

And, of course, don't forget Experience.com! I assume since you made it to this blog, you've seen lots of it already, but this is a great place to get started on a career. Explore Experience's resources and see what might be helpful for you!