What should seniors know? A Q&A with recent grads
By: Ngai Yeung ‘23
I’m graduating in a month and I have no idea how to process the fact. What should us graduating seniors know about the next stage of life and how has our college experience prepared us for that? I talked to a handful of recent USC and Trojan 360 grads (Nancy Aguilar ‘22, Jordan Bucknor ‘22, Sophia Pei ‘22, Angela Wang ‘22 and Antonia Le ‘21) to find out.
What’s one thing you wish you did before graduation?
Nancy: I wish I would have gone for most [internship] opportunities because internships are really helpful for building connections.
Jordan: I wish I prioritized self care more. I wish I had a solid routine down. With so many assignments and deadlines, it’s so easy to let things slip. If you don’t have capacity or passion at the moment, you can say no.
Sophia: After you graduate, opportunities don’t go away, but the ease at which you access things does. It’s one of the last times of your life where you are living within a one mile radius of everyone you know.
Angela: Work experience and connections matter so much more than GPA does.
Antonia: I wish I took more classes outside of my major.
Any tips for the graduation ceremony itself?
Jordan: My mom couldn’t see me walk on the stage because she couldn’t find parking. Stake out a good parking spot beforehand!
Sophia: I wish I mapped out where to go [and] where to meet my parents because so many people are wearing the same black robes you can’t tell who anyone is!
Angela: You will be too exhausted to take photos on graduation day, so get your photos taken early on.
Bonus Tip: You’re going to be sitting under the sun the whole day, and it’s super hot when you’re wearing that polyester graduation gown, so dress light! And wear sunscreen.
What would you say to your senior self to help prepare her for post-grad life?
Nancy: Networking will cost you money as meals and coffees add up. Stay smart about finances and budgeting.
Jordan: Advocate for yourself and your work.
Sophia: In school, you know what your primary role is as a student. But after school, nobody’s telling you what to do next. It’s kind of scary, but it’s also where you grow the most because there’s so many opportunities for you to decide what it will be like.
Angela: If you can, take some time off for yourself because college really burns you out.
Antonia: Not every job will be a good fit. Be okay with the uncertainty of not having a job.
What is your biggest takeaway from your college experience?
Jordan: No one is going to invite you to do the work, you have to invite yourself.
Sophia: After college, you won’t have the same diversity of people as you do in your college experience.
Angela: Make sure you’re making friends while you’re in college because it’s so hard to make friends after you graduate.
Antonia: The experiences I enjoyed the most are the things I didn’t know I would enjoy beforehand.
Any money saving hacks?
Nancy: Get Calfresh as soon as you can for free groceries.
Sophia: Get housemates! Invest in real estate if you have the means to do so, as it’s the biggest proportion of cost for things.
Angela: If you’re in Los Angeles, supermarket chain El Super sells really cheap protein.
Is there anything else you think graduating seniors should know?
Nancy: It seems obvious, but try to always say yes. Approach everything with an open attitude.
Jordan: Don’t be narrow minded in what you apply for, and don’t discount yourself.
Sophia: Just have fun! It’s such a chaotic time to be a senior, and there’s a lot of pressure to make the most out of the end of a phase. It’s totally fine to not be okay. But if that’s true for you, find the things that recharge you, and hang onto that.
Angela: Aside from making friends, make sure you add people, like your classmates, on LinkedIn. It’s not a huge commitment, but it’s a great way to keep track of people and everyone does it.
Antonia: I didn’t expect post-grad life to be so lonely.
Check out these recent grad’s past Trojans 360 articles here:
Nancy Aguilar ‘21 (Major: Film, International Relations)
Jordan Bucknor ‘22 (Major: Creative Writing Minor: Screenwriting)
Sophia Pei ‘22 (Major: Quantitative Biology)
Angela Wang ‘22 (Major: Business Administration)
Antonia Le ‘21 (Major: Applied Math Minor: Screenwriting)
Want more from Trojans 360?
Visit Trojans 360 on Facebook & Twitter to stay up to date with more student content! You can also Ask A Trojan an anonymous question, and we’ll try to answer it in a future post. And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram!
Trojans 360 is USC’s official student-run blog. Content created by students, for students.
