By MAC SMITH

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College graduation marks more than just the end of classes and exams — it symbolizes years of dedication, growth and transformation. For seniors, this moment represents the closing of one chapter and the exciting beginning of another. 

From navigating academic challenges to forming lifelong friendships, the journey to graduation is deeply personal and often filled with both triumphs and trials. 

Most seniors are happy not simply to get their degree, but to leave college behind. They no longer need to put up with classmate disagreements, tension with professors, the dreadful feeling of an upcoming exam and other school-related plights. 

However, that feeling of worrying over how that exam will go could never compare to leaving college, entering the “real world” and the common challenge of deciding where to go post-graduation.  

As seniors prepare to step off campus and embark into the “real world,” they carry with them not just a degree, but the lessons, memories and resilience that shaped their college experience.  

Let’s explore what graduation means to seniors today and what possible new challenges await after their caps are thrown.  

“After I graduate, I’m going to come back for graduate school for two years as a [Resident Director],” said Sunny, a Salisbury University Resident Assistant. “As an RD in graduate school, the schooling gets harder, but I won’t be dying of schoolwork every week as much anymore.”  

Chris, an SU Resident Assistant studying nursing, plans to pursue a career in the medical field once he graduates college. 

“After graduation, I plan to work at a hospital with my nursing degree and hopefully move to New York City and get my license,” he said. 

Preparing to graduate college sparks reminiscence of the final weeks of high school which these seniors experienced several years ago.There are many similarities and differences between graduating high school and graduating college. 

When graduating high school, you have several options of what to do next. Students can either go to college, trade school, or directly into the workforce. 

“I do think that there is a huge difference between graduating high school and college, not a lot of people get to experience a high school graduation to getting a diploma so graduating college with a Bachelors or Master’s is even better,” Chris said. 

There is a great deal of stress associated with graduating college– not academic stress, but rather the stress that develops as a result of uncertainty with life plans. ‘Can I get a career job?’ is asked the most, which is the main reason most students decide to pursue higher education.

“The relief is still there because you’re officially done with school, however, high school has a clear vision of what’s next, for college it’s still a lot more nebulous,” Sunny said. 

There are definitely fewer safety nets after college, but if you fall the right way, you might just land in the one that was meant for you.