The Worst Question You Can Ask a SLU Senior
The worst question you can ask a St. Lawrence University senior is what their plans are for after graduation – at least for those of us in the humanities. However, this seems to be the only thing people care to ask about! What happened to “How are you?,” ‘What’s your favorite color?,” or just maybe just a nice and swift “Hey, you look like you’re trying your best!” No. Instead, I get asked a thousand times in a thousand different ways what on Earth I plan to do with the rest of my life.
If it wasn’t clear from the tone of my writing right now, the answer to that question is, I have absolutely no idea. All I know is that I, as an Anthropology Major and a Gender and Sexuality and Caribbean and Latin American Studies double minor, have limited options. Yes, I did this to myself. I chose these specific disciplines that usually don’t hold much weight at the bachelor level. Meaning that I probably won’t be able to do anything specialized with this degree unless I pursue more education. As a second semester senior, I can tell you I am in absolutely no rush to get after that.
When I started here as a freshman, I was dewy, bright eyed, and ready to take on the world. I was told to follow my passions, so I did just that. I took classes in the things I cared about and that just happened to be in Anthropology, Gender and Sexuality Studies, and Caribbean, Latin American and Latino Studies. I spent my last four years learning all about how scary and complicated the world outside of the SLU bubble is. Now I’m perpetually sleep deprived, dehydrated and ready to crawl across the graduation stage. But what’s next? Leave the bubble of SLU, degree in hand, and… Yeah, no, I can’t think of anything.
It’s not that I don’t have aspirations. Oh boy, do I have those! I would love to pursue more education or find a job that I’m passionate about with the degree that I have now. But trust me, I’ve been looking. I’ve gone as far as to reach out! I’ve talked to some of my other fellow seniors, and they are in a similar situation. No one wants us. No one seems to have time to respond to applications, let alone train us. So, what is a humanities major to do? No really, I’m asking.
I’m not writing this to scare future seniors, I promise. I know I’m being dramatic (hopefully) and that all of this will eventually work out (in the best-case scenario). But to all my fellow SLUdents who are inching closer and closer to graduation and wonder what the rest of their life will look like, just know you aren’t alone. We are all scared. The bubble of SLU is a safe and consistent one. But maybe, just maybe, four years from now we will feel just this safe in a new place in our lives. Wistfully enjoying whatever opportunity comes our way. A girl can hope.