I'm Officially a Graduate! ...Now What?

It’s official…I’m a graduate! I now have my Masters of Science from Drexel University and am ready to sit for the Registered Dietitian (RD) exam. Honestly, it hasn’t fully sunk in yet.

If you’re in the same boat, congrats! Post-grad life can be scary, intimidating, but also an amazing time. Let’s chat about future plans, feelings, and how to navigate this weird life change.

Summer Plans

To be honest, I’m not really sure what this summer will look like. I’m subletting some of my friends rooms and kind of bopping around until I sign an official lease with my friend to continue living in Philadelphia.

There are a few things that I’m sure of. The first is that I HAVE A JOB!! My first big girl job!! How crazy is that? I’m excited to start my dietetics career in July as a Pediatric Clinical Dietitian working in an outpatient setting.

The next thing that I’m sure of is that I’ll be studying every chance I get for the RD exam. In case you’re not aware, the RD exam is a huge test that you have to intensely study for and pass in order to work as a dietitian. The studying process is pretty insane from what I’ve heard. My original plan was to graduate, study, take the exam, then start working. My timeline kind of shifted, so I’ll be working and studying at the same time (oof).

I hope to have some fun this summer too, whatever that looks like (lol). It’s gonna be crazy with studying and starting a new job, but I’m also 24 and want to enjoy being with my college friends one last time in this setting.

Navigating Post-Grad Life

Not sure if it’s just me, but I have mixed feelings about being a graduate. I’m super excited about working and “adulting,” but it also freaks me out.

A lot of my friends are moving away, so it’s going to be different. I don’t love change, so I’m anticipating that this is going to be hard and may not feel great all the time. There’s going to be new friendships, but also a lot that are going to look different.

I’m coming to terms with accepting that with friends, you can’t expect your relationship to look the same throughout your life. I would be a fool if I expected my college friendships to not change at all once we graduate. Of course they will! But, that’s not a bad thing.

Growing with your friends means that you’re both on the right track. It takes effort to maintain a friendship from both sides. You may not have as much in common anymore, but it’s up to both of you to determine if it’s a friendship worth keeping. I know that a lot of mine are, but I also know that some probably won’t be. That’s a hard pill to swallow, but sometimes it’s just meant to happen. The people you were friends with in college may not be your friends in life.

It’s Okay to Be Scared

Did any of that make sense?? I feel like it was a big journal entry or brain dump, but hopefully it’s relatable. The point being is that it’s okay to be scared and excited for post-grad life.

I’m super excited to actually be an RD, work in my field, meet new people, and live on my own. At the same time, I’m also terrified about how my life will change, if I’ll like working, and how my friendships will look.

I don’t think that I’m alone in feeling this way. Everyone has some fear going into post-grad life, which is completely normal. This is a huge life transition we’re going through, so no one is expected to have it perfect right away, or ever. We’re always changing and growing, and that’s the beautiful part of life.

Again, I hope that this made sense to you and can offer some insight into what you’re feeling. I’m feeling all the emotions, from excitement, to nervous, to scared, to just emotional. There’s going to be highs and lows, but I can promise that everyone is going to figure it out. It may not be right away, but I’m a huge believer in everything happening for a reason.

I love you all so much. CONGRATS, you did it!!! Be proud of yourself with everything you’ve accomplished, and proud of what you’re going to become in the future.

xoxo