By: Essence Buckman, senior writer

When David Brooks, New York times op-ed columnist and author, visited Wofford college earlier in the semester, he said he knows that many seniors aren’t sure about what they will do after graduation. He was right; in that moment I started questioning everything I had planned for myself.

For many years, I was set on attending a journalism school somewhere on the East coast, preferably Washington D.C. However, when I started my final fall semester at Wofford, my plans changed. I didn’t know if I wanted to go to graduate school anymore. I did not know whether I should try to go abroad again, apply for an internship, or find an actual job within the journalism field.

I’m stuck and I’m a bit nervous because I believe that I should know what my post-undergrad plans are. I know many people believe that I should not worry since I am young, but if I don’t have a plan set in motion, I get stressed. I’m going back and forth on what to do. If I want to attend grad school next fall, I need to get it together very quickly because applications do have deadlines.

Yet, a few times I’ve heard that graduate school for journalism isn’t necessary or unnecessary for success. I also heard that some people either love j-school or hate it. David Brooks encouraged aspiring journalists “to step right into the journalism field” by being on the job. I can see where he’s coming from, yet I’m afraid to be out of school for six months following graduation. If I am, then I’ll have to start my first loan payment among many, and I don’t believe that I’m anywhere near ready for that responsibility.

There are many decisions that I have to assess in the midst of making sure I’m staying on track in my current classes and my upcoming classes that I need in order to graduate. My main goal in mind besides graduating is to have a job or internship lined up, or to start grad school.

I can’t walk across that stage in May, obtain my degree and have nothing to look forward to after reaching a milestone of being a first-generation college student. I must keep the momentum going; I feel like I have to know what I want to do by February. Either way, I can’t believe that I thought I had my future together and now, as time goes by, I’m more unsure of what to do.

Oliva McGowan, ’18, feels the same way. “I thought that I wanted to go to grad school but now I’m not sure if I have enough time to apply because I have to take the time to prepare for the GRE. If I do decide to go to grad school, the earliest I could start probably won’t be until spring 2019, which means I’ll have to figure out what to do for the summer and fall following graduation.”

I’m sure that like McGowan and myself, many other seniors find themselves not having it all together like they may have expected. We won’t have everything figured out but that’s okay. If we remain dedicated and work hard, a good future and career will be the outcome. Its just that we may not know exactly how soon that outcome will appear.