After You Graduate: Life Changes That Occur After College

There are a number of things that will happen to you that you won’t believe will happen to you once you graduate and start your life. Some might be insignificant and you may not even notice the changes for years, such as the fact that you suddenly know more of the answers to Jeopardy questions or that you find yourself going, “Who wears that?” when you watch old episodes of FRIENDS or The OC (It was new then…but now it’s not). However, some might be pretty big changes. Here are three you should prepare yourself for.

Losing Touch

You might need to prepare yourself for the fact that one day you’ll wake up and realize that you haven’t spoken to your best friend from college (the one you talked to at least 876 times a day for four years plus) in months. Sometimes, depending on the careers you have, the families you have and the distance you are from one another, you lost touch and drift apart. It happens after you graduate; it won’t happen with everyone, but it might happen with people you never thought it would happen with.

You Grow Up

At some point you realize that you are a college graduate with a family or a career or both, and you’re not a child anymore. This might happen when you realize you make your first mortgage payment or you see that little positive sign on a pregnancy test or when you’re sick and you really just want your own mom and dad but you still have to find a way to care for your kids until your husband gets home even though you feel like a zombie. You will, undoubtedly, grow up.

You’ll Mature

Remember all those football games you attended before you were a college graduate? Remember standing in the stands after a long afternoon of tailgating screaming vulgarities and inappropriate comments at the other team? It was fun, wasn’t it? Well, one day you’ll attend a game at your alma matter and find yourself repulsed by the choice of words and terminology used by pre-graduates and find yourself thinking that you can’t believe you were ever that immature and classless. Oh yes, this will happen. Embrace it.