I am in the middle of applying to graduate school, taking the last classes I need, applying for internships, working my copious jobs and preparing for my final season on the ultimate team. My mind is going a mile a minute and when I stop moving for a split second (which is rare) the anxiety sets in.
Where are you going to live?
Will you be able to afford to take a nice vacation for yourself?
When will you put in your two weeks?
Will you go to graduate school even if you send in your applications?
How much do I have to work when I will be paying off my student loans?
All of these questions make me nervous because there will be no structure after May. I have to make my structure and how to do that terrifies me because there are so many unknowns. Graduating is a huge milestone and while it is exciting, worry also comes with it. But one thing I know that I have to do is take it one step at a time and ease my way into it.
When I first came to Boulder, McNeill was there. I was in a new state, no one to rely on, and I was like a lost puppy. But after Summer Launch I realized that I had a support system in place. They reassured me that they would always be with me and guide me as I embarked my journey at CU. Even as I work here, I recognize that McNeill graduates use what they learned at McNeill and still reach out to the faculty.
McNeill has guided me throughout my college career and the one thing that they have taught me is to focus on what is in your control and what can you can do now. There were so many times in the fall semester where I did not know what to do and I was overthinking things; something I do very often. McNeill was there for me and helped me realign my focus on what I can do today to make sure I can guarantee something tomorrow.
Even though I have a coordinator, I reached out to other staff members to help me as I close out my career at CU. They were willing to help me write my essays and help me destress because I started questioning the unknowns when I graduate. With the faculty’s support and help I was able to complete my applications and feel at ease for the first time in a while. McNeill has always said that they are a community, but with helping me get through the application process, the community support was there. Not only did it help, it made sure that I had a support system that I could lean on no matter what happened, gave me confidence to pursue what I wanted, and helped me confirm that I was making the right choice.