Unbelievably, it’s December.
When the semester began and I started seriously considering graduate school, I considered everything December and beyond to be a massive mystery. December felt so far away back in August, but now that I’m here, I’m more prepared than I thought I would be.
All of my graduate school applications are complete. Letters of recommendation are trickling in. I’m already past one deadline, technically now waiting for responses to start coming in mid-January. This month, I’ll be finishing up all cover letters for graduate assistantships, as I have my eye on being an Assistant Residence Director if I can swing it! Aside from that, I’ve done well at my media internship in London, adding something great to my CV.
A curveball came my way a couple weeks ago, though—a possible job offer post-graduation. In London.
I wish I could say this doesn’t change my feelings about graduate school, but that would be a lie. The security of a full-time job offer in a field related to my interests and degree of study in an amazing city abroad immediately after graduation is almost too good to be true. It’s kind of a dream for a lot of new graduates, a dream I hadn’t even thought would be possible for me. The offer depends on a couple factors working out, but hopefully I’ll know more about it early in the new year.
December marks a season of endings. It’s the end of the year, the end of my valuable study abroad term, the end of submitting HESA applications, and, for some of my friends, the end of undergraduate careers. Had I not studied abroad, I’d be graduating this month, but I decided to stick it out the full four years in order to go where nobody in my family has gone before.
I can’t help but also consider December as a season telling of times to come. As much as this month marks the end of the year, it also points to the beginning of a new one. 2015 will probably be the most daunting year of my young adult life. I don’t know where I’ll be come May. I can only hope for more clarity about my prospects come February, followed by serious decisions in March, and leaps of faith immediately following graduation. This isn’t something I can put the brakes on and it’s pretty scary. It’s happening.
I’m bracing myself for rejection, but the prospect of doors opening for me by March is just as terrifying. What am I going to do?
MATT NAZARIO-MILLER 