Students study in Norlin Commons early this semester. Many seniors contend that this will be their most difficult year in college when academics mix with the stress of graduation. (CU Independent file/Lee Pruitt)
As graduation rapidly approaches, seniors strive to balance schoolwork, anxieties about graduation and the construction of plans for the future.
Carrie Krieger, a 21-year-old art history major, said that senior year has been particularly difficult because of all the added stress of graduation.
“It’s hard because I changed majors,” Krieger said. “Now, I’m cramming in all these classes so I can graduate on time.”
Krieger, who switched her major from communication to art history, said that not only are her classes more difficult, but she also feels pressure to catch up with fellow seniors.
Other students are also feeling this pressure as they try to ensure that they will be able to graduate in four years.
“Personally, I don’t really think senior year is harder than any other year, aside from the fact that I have to take 18 credit hours each semester in order to graduate on time,” said Diana Tracy, a 21-year-old communication major.
Aside from the extra course load, Tracy said she is not worried about life after graduation. She said she plans to move to New York City to start her life.
“I don’t expect to find a job right away,” Tracy said. “I am hoping that whatever company I intern with will eventually offer me a job.”
Evan Powell, a 21-year-old communication and sociology major, said that he is also confident about the future.
Powell said he believes the social skills developed in the real world are often more important than grades.
“I am not particularly concerned about the job climate, because I believe many jobs are acquired through connections and hard work, not simply because of good grades in school,” Powell said.
He took some time off from CU to help start up both an events production company called Full Sails Entertainment and Boulder’s Safe Ride Taxi Service.
Powell said he will be graduating in December and returning to Los Angeles to try to work for a talent agency or talent management firm.
Jessica Drexler, a 21-year-old communication major, said she is not nearly as calm and confident about senior year and graduation.
“It’s not that school is any harder or easier than my previous years,” Drexler said. “It’s just that the things surrounding senior year, like graduation and life after college, are adding a lot of pressure.”
Drexler said that, as a senior at CU, she has mastered the art of knowing when to slack off and when to be responsible. The pressure to do well after college, Drexler said, is what has finally motivated her to really get her act together as a senior.
“I’ve finally come to terms with the notion that it is time to get real with my life,” Drexler said.
Kyle Baker, 21-year-old environmental science major, said that he plans to hold off on graduation and return to CU next year.
Baker said he will work towards a minor in geology and a geography water certificate next year to avoid the uneasy job market.
“The economy isn’t very strong right now,” Baker said. “I have brothers who are really struggling to find work.”
Although students agree the courses themselves are not more difficult, they said the simple idea of being a senior in college makes this the most difficult year so far.
“It’s so scary to even think about graduation,” Krieger said. “I still can’t believe I’m a senior.”
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Lindsay Gulisano at Lindsay.gulisano@colorado.edu.
