Question:
Dear Andi,
I’m getting ready to graduate in a few weeks, and with that comes a lot of ends that I’m just not ready to accept. Believe me, I’m thrilled that I’ll never have another 8 a.m. or write a paper again, but I’m sad that I’m not going to see all of the friends that I’ve made over the last four years anymore. We all live in different places, even as far away as California, and I don’t know how we’re all going to be able to stay friends with such vast distances between us. Texting and calling can only do so much. How can we maintain our friendships even outside of SRU?
Sincerely,
Sayonara SRU
Answer:
Dear Sayonara SRU,
I think the first thing you have to realize is that with the change of graduation will come a change in friendships. This can be taken one of two ways. You can take this to mean that you will slowly lose touch with everyone you know as you move on from college, OR you can take this to mean that with your life change comes a change of communication styles with the people you care about. Just because you aren’t present in your friends’ lives doesn’t mean that you can’t stay in the loop with what’s going on. It’s going to be hard because there will be people that you will lose touch with, but ultimately your true friends will go out of their way to keep you in their lives. One thing that I think you can do to maintain your friendships is to take trips and visit them! What a perfect reason to travel and make more memories with the people you care about. Even a weekly text saying, “Hey! I miss you! Hope all is well!” can mean a lot to someone so just getting into a habit like that could really help maintain a friendship. I really think that the people who matter will keep in touch and you will go out of your way to keep in touch with them as well. It won’t be easy, and it will take some work, but it will be worth it! That way, when you do get to see each other, it will be like nothing has changed.
Congrats on graduating and good luck to you in your future endeavors!
Andi
Question:
Dear Andi,
I’ve found that this semester has been particularly difficult for me because of one reason or another, like trying to stay focused on my assignments and even managing to make it to classes some days. I’ve finally realized why, and I think it’s because I’m unhappy in my major. I’ve invested a few years of my time and effort into my classes, which is why it’s kind of freaking me out that I might change it. I don’t know whether I should stick with it for at least the first few weeks of the fall semester, or if I should change it now. I just don’t want to end up regretting my decision. Andi, help me decide what to do.
Sincerely,
Major Problems
Answer:
Dear Major Problems,
Do you know what you would choose as your new major? Have you done enough research to be sure that this is the change you want to make? I would say if you’re not 95 percent sure that this change will be a good thing then don’t do it. Maybe just take an intro class in the fall, even if the credits don’t fit into any spot on your credit requirements, because you may take an intro class and realize you don’t like that either. So, if you’re sure, make the switch, if not I wouldn’t make the change yet.
If you are struggling to figure out what you want to do with your life, it might be a good idea to take a semester off and figure things out. Sometimes we are rushed into a major thinking that this will satisfy your future so that we can finish college (like we’re told to), but if you are confused with what you want to do, don’t spend all that money to walk away with a major you don’t like. Taking some time off isn’t a bad thing to do.
Either way, just take the necessary steps that you feel will benefit you and will save you the most money because college and your time are worth a lot!
Good luck!
Andi
