- Lindsay Hickman
Ten things CCU seniors should do before they graduate
Senior year it is finally time to sit back relax and just breeze through your last year of classes, right?
Wrong.
As a graduate student, I’ve been there, done that and trust me, I’ve learned from my mistakes. Take a few of these tips to make sure your senior year is the best one possible. Here are ten things to do this year to make sure you don’t waste the last year of your time at CCU.
Take a class that just sounds interesting. I know no one wants to add another class to their academic plate, but trust me it is worth it. Take something crazy, something wild, a class that has nothing to do with your major like astronomy, piano, library strategies or painting. You will be introduced to a whole new group of people, a new professor and maybe a lifelong passion.
Get an internship or job off-campus. I cannot recommend this enough. I was blessed to have an off-campus job for three years, it was a great way to learn time management, but it was also amazing because I met so many great people. Some of which I was able to use for reference letters, and even put on my resume. One of the biggest things to overcome after graduation is finding a job that does not require previous experience. If you can have even a semester of experience in a job, it will help you down the road.
Create a LinkedIn. I don’t care what your major is, what kind of job you want after graduation or even if you hate computers, make a LinkedIn. It is one of the easiest ways to stay up to date on job openings in your field all across the world. It is a great way to stay connected to college professors, school colleagues and coworkers after graduation.
Go to sporting events. You will greatly miss Coastal after graduation. Believe me, I came back for graduate school. You are going to miss going to sporting events for free like football, volleyball, baseball, and soccer. Support your fellow classmates, cheer on your soon to be alma mater and relish the time you get to spend being a fan.
Use the library. Full disclosure, I’m an English graduate, so I love to read, but no matter your major use the library! You will save hundreds, if not thousands of dollars by checking out books instead of buying them. ‘Club Kimbe’l was my main spot during college, I was in Starbucks or on a couch upstairs all day or all night long working on papers, homework or labs, if you are anything like me, you probably go there too.
Don’t miss out on festivals and free events. If you don’t have a Teal Tuesday T-Shirt from every year you’ve been at CCU, you are doing life wrong. If you don’t spend every CINO Day covered in sweat, face paint and bags full of free swag you are missing out on the best part of college. I know that everyone has classes, I’m not saying to skip your classes, don’t be stupid. But don’t just sit in your room playing Fortnite when you could be enjoying your last days of college with people you may never see again.
Use your student discount. There are dozens of places all around Myrtle Beach and Conway that you get a crazy percentage off just by showing your CINO Card. You want a free cupcake at Coccadotts? Show your CINO Card. Want free Amazon Prime? Use your CINO Card. Want a discount at Chipotle? CINO Card. You get the idea.
Go to the CCU Career Services Center. This place will get you all set and ready for graduation. They will help you build your resume, set up a LinkedIn, decode the horrible term ‘business casual dress’ and more. This is the place to find jobs, internships and more. Also, a great tip-Alumni can use the center too! So if you happen to need help in 8 months come back to campus, they are always ready to help you.
Explore the area. No matter if you were born and raised in Conway or Cleveland explore the wonderful shoreline of South Carolina. Go on a road trip down to Charleston, go to Huntington Beach or Myrtle Beach State Park, just find somewhere you haven’t been and explore the area. Most likely you won’t be back to Conway for a long, long time, so enjoy the area while you are still here.
Keep a journal. I’m not a psychology person or trying to go all Freud on you, but you will want to remember this year. In ten years or ten months you will want to remember professors names, what classes you liked, what friends you had, and most importantly the fun times you had. Keeping a journal will be a great reminder to yourself in a few years of the impossibilities you faced in college, and the perseverance that got you through it.
There are countless other things that I think you should do in your last year of Coastal, but they all can be summed up in this: try new things. This could be your last chance to try new things without fear of the consequences. Go on a volunteer trip over Spring Break, do a short-term Study Abroad program, present at a conference, tailgate before a football game, get sunburned watching the baseball team, or just lay on Prince Lawn and take it all in. You will miss your time here, so don’t waste the little that you have left!
