For my college girls: The Q&A from my latest talk

I recently did a talk and workshop with college seniors and juniors and it’s one of my favorite things to do!

I shared some of my favorite lessons and I also did a Q&A which I always enjoy and a few more lessons came up that I think are important, especially for my college girls who are soon to leave a safety net they’ve come to know and love and head out on their own.

Question: What year of college was your favorite?

Answer: My senior year! For many reasons, but most notably because I made some great memories with my girlfriends after having recently broken up with a long-term boyfriend. Years from now, you most likely won’t have the same boyfriend but you’ll hopefully still have the same girlfriends, so invest in them!

Question: What did you feel like when you were us, about to graduate? What is there to look forward to?

Answer: College is comfortable, you’ve been here for 4 years. It’s also really effortless and easy to hang out with your friends. You can see each other at a meal or get ready together in the bathroom and yes, it’s sad to lose those things, and there is certainly uncertainty ahead. But I remember being so excited to explore something new, to get to learn another place and a new part of myself and the beautiful thing is that those people you used to get ready with, they now live in new cities that you get to visit and you have even more bathrooms to get ready in.

Question: How do you make friends after college?

Answer: There is a lesson in the book in the love chapter that says “Don’t go looking for love, go looking for things you love to do.” And this lesson applies to friendship too! Find a hobby, sign up for an art class, go to a run club, be willing to do something you love on your own to meet someone you have something in common with. Also, don’t be afraid to make a first friend at work, even if you don’t think they’ll be a lifelong friend. It’s nice to have someone to do things with and it gives you a friend to meet other people with.

 And know that making friends is hard at every move and transition in life and that women of all ages ask about friendship.

Question: How did you know where you wanted to live after college?

Answer: I didn’t, I was so excited to ruthlessly apply to a lot of jobs and cities, I just happened to have a lot of traction in Atlanta, GA because I had visited some agencies there. Focus your effort where there is action.

Question: How will I adjust to a new city?

Answer: You are a senior right now, you’ve been here for 4 years. You didn’t know anything about this place in Year 1 or feel about it what you do now. So, accept that your first year is your freshman year and there is much to learn and get to know and just imagine yourself in your “senior year in Boston” for example.

For more lessons on the transition after graduation and navigating life after college, be sure to check out Don’t Wear Shoes You Can’t Walk In. It’s the perfect companion for navigating your new beginning and discovering your own unrecognized wisdom.