May 20, 2021 Colleges, Learning Techniques, Preparation Strategies, Raising Awareness 0

So You Graduated–Now What?

All the hours of homework, studying, essays, and assignments have brought you to this moment — graduation. Congratulations! But you might feel stuck wondering what comes next after you graduated. If so, keep reading to find out the next steps you should take on your new journey.

You graduated high school

You just graduated or are about to graduate high school. Make sure you give yourself a pat on the back, this is a major milestone in your life. Maybe you’ve applied to colleges, maybe you haven’t. Maybe you already decided where you’re going to school or maybe you decided to go another route. Whatever your situation may look like, here are some steps you can take if you’re unsure of what to do next.

If you already know where you’re going to college, start looking on the college’s website and find out what steps they want you to take. The first thing you will probably need to do is sign up for an orientation. College orientation might seem like a waste of time, but it is very important, especially if you’re moving to a different area. Not only is it a time for you to meet some of your peers, but it’s often where students can declare a major, pick their classes for their first semester, meet with their advisor, get a school ID, and it’s also a good way to get familiar with the campus. You also will probably need to fill out a roommate selection form. If you already have a friend you are living with you will both have to let the school know, if not, you should fill out the roommate questionnaire to ensure you get paired with someone who is a good match for you. Some colleges also require a placement exam in some subjects to help when placing students in general education courses. Find out if yours does and get started on it over the summer. It isn’t worth a grade but it will help when determining what classes you can take.

If you haven’t decided where you’re going to college yet, or you decided to go to trade school instead, your next steps will look a bit different. If you don’t know where you want to go to school, now is a good time to start researching colleges and looking into applying for scholarships. Colleges offer campus tours year round, so you can still check places out while you are making your decision. Once you have narrowed down your options, decide when you would like to start school, maybe the following spring, summer, or fall, and create a plan of what you will do in the meantime. Maybe it’s working a part-time job or taking a gap year, but creating a plan will make everything easier when the time to attend does come around. If you have decided to go into a trade, find out what is required of you, some require an apprenticeship, while others require a certificate or associate’s degree. Finding out what is needed in order for you to go into a specific trade will save you the trouble of possibly starting out with a route that might be wasting your time.

You graduated college

First of all, congrats to the college grad! It may seem like everyone goes to college these days, but you accomplished something incredible and you should take some time to be proud of your hard work. If you’ve made it this far in your academic career, you probably have already spent the last 4 years thinking about what you want to do next. But if you’re still unsure what to do after you graduated, here are some first steps.

If you are considering grad schools but haven’t taken any of the exams for it yet, find out what exams you need to take first, and then look into the kind of score you would need to get in order to be accepted to your desired programs. Miles Smart Tutoring offers grad school exam prep in the GRE, GMAT, MCAT, and LSAT. If you’re looking to get a full-time job after graduation but haven’t found one yet, the first step is to not panic. You will find a job. The second step is to look for jobs that really interest you. You are more likely to get hired for a job you show enthusiasm for, rather than a job you are applying to just for the paycheck. Sites like LinkedIn, Indeed, ZipRecruiter, or sometimes private recruiting companies, are all good places to find job postings. Once you’ve found a job you like, applied, and have been contacted for an interview, check out our previous blog post on nailing a job interview.

The most important thing you can do after graduating is taking time to be proud of yourself. Getting a degree is impressive work that should be celebrated. But once you have it’s time to get going on next steps. Luckily, Miles Smart Tutoring is here to help you during all of the steps you take. Call us at (813) 328-3036 so we can be there during the next step in your life.

You graduated high school

You graduated college

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