You did it! After four or five years of sleepless nights studying, grueling examinations and scary class presentations, you’ve finally earned your college degree. It’s time to celebrate – the real world can wait for later. So alert your friends and family and make your last few moments as a kid memorable.
The most common way to recognize a graduation is by throwing a party. This can come in the form of a backyard barbeque or an elaborate meal at a fancy restaurant that you’ve always wanted to try out. Most of the expenses will be covered by your parents, family and friends, so take the opportunity to have to most fun possible – guilt-free. Keep in mind that you’ll be attending other graduation parties to which you’ll be expected to contribute, so it’s a give and take process. Also, it’s not unusual to have two parties – one with family and one with friends – because we all know you don’t act exactly the same around both groups of people. One last kegger in your campus area apartment for old-time sake will keep those great college memories fresh. Many new graduates choose to take a trip. Now that you have the time, go somewhere that you’ve always wanted see, and do something you’ve always wanted to do. Rock climb in Rocky Mountain National Park. Skydive in San Diego. Go backpacking in Europe. Take a cross-country road trip. Take a cruise to the Bahamas with your girlfriend or boyfriend.
If you’re all partied out from college and would rather not take a trip, you can still find ways to celebrate. Use that graduation money your parents, grandparents and distant relatives sent you and go on a shopping spree. Buy those expensive clothes you’ve always wanted. Buy that laptop you’ve been eyeing since its release. Update your home theater by finally replacing your archaic analog TV with the latest HD model. If you’re just too tired to do anything, take the opportunity to do nothing. It’s probably the first chance you’ve had in a while to just lounge around like a bum, and it’ll probably be the last. If you have a Type-A personality and absolutely must do something productive in the meantime before getting a job, offer your services to a local volunteer agency or take a part-time internship. It’ll look good on your resume and you’ll still be taking it easy. No matter what you decide to do, it’s important you value the time – it’s the best gift you’ll ever get for graduation.