The "G" Word - Graduation

Greetings Allie here!

As the dreaded “G” word slowly approaches I’ve been filled with bittersweet emotions. And fear.

I promise not to get too sentimental but it seems like only a short time ago my parents dropped me off at UConn in front of the Northwest Residence Hall for my freshman year and now, here I am, an all-powerful senior. It’s amazing how far I’ve come. Thinking about the fact that I will be leaving Storrs, CT in just a few months is terrifying. I love it here and I’m not ready to grow up! But no matter how hard I try to fight it, I’m getting older. It’s time to be a big girl and get a big girl job.

My career path still isn’t exactly clear – through my four years I’ve been able to identify my strengths and weakness, figure out a lot of things that I don’t want to do, and have also found some definite interests. Even though I am a Pre-Dental, Biology major I don’t think I will be pursuing that field, at least not for now. Biology isn’t my true passion, but I don’t feel as though all of my hard work was for nothing. It has really given me a strong background in the sciences, an appreciation for health care professionals, the ability to preserver and a sense of accomplishment. I did it.

Now that it’s time to take the next step, I’ve been applying to EVERYTHING. A great resource is UConn’s Husky Career Link, a web based recruiting system from Career Services. Here, employers can post openings and UConn students can apply right on the site. You can search by job interest, major, location – it’s pretty cool! After a few interviews, I’m really getting excited about starting something new!

The good news is, I found a great job in New York City. I will be representing a major newspaper. The interview process was daunting – over 400 people applied for the job and only 40 of us were interviewed. Each candidate met with different managers and we also had a group reception where we mingled with the administrators. I sweated over what to wear and minded my manners but once I was actually interviewing I felt surprisingly comfortable (guess all those sorority social events and tour training paid off). The old advice of “be yourself” is true. So now I just have to complete my Senior year and graduate and then on to the grown up world. I’m looking forward to it.