Is it normal to be scared about college?

Is it normal to be worried about the future? I'm in college and as graduation gets nearer I'm scared?

• I'm not sure what I'm going to do after college, and I worry. I thought about going to law school, but I don't think I can afford it. I've thought about the law or a ...show more

• Answer:

  Don't worry--I was you a few years ago, I had all the same fears--and to tell you the truth--those fears are well founded. Once you get dumped out of the collegiate womb, there are no more course catalogs and the options seem limitless and daunting. The truth though, is that it really isn't that bad. Let me speak to the couple fields you talked about. 1. Don't worry about jumping right from undergrad to law school if you are going down that road. Your senior year you want to be working to raising your GPA as much as you can and enjoying your last few months of college--you don't want to be pouring through LSAT prep books and classes. If you do think you want to go down that road, take a year off after college--get a job at a law firm as a clerk or legal assistant. (The jobs aren't too hard to find and they pay well for entry-level.) That will give you A) the time to earn and hopefully save up some money and B) the time to prepare for LSATs and applications so that you can hopefully get a scholarship somewhere, and C) most importantly you'll get to see if you really like the practice of law before you tack on 150k or more in debt. 2. Politics is a great field too--that's where I'm working right now. The thing about that field though, is that it is pretty tough to get a job without internship experience. You basically have to work for free for a bit, before anyone will pay you to work. If you can, come to DC or wherever you may want to work and get a summer internship, or do a quarter or semester's externship through your university. You could also work on days you don't have class at a publicity or lobbying firm or a candidate's office or a governmental office in your area. The options are wide especially if you are willing to work for free. If you work hard in an internship, you are very likely to get hired once you graduate, as they will keep you in mind for when positions come available. As for insurance, check up with your school's alumni association. Very often as a perk of joining the AA, you'll be able to opt into a health plan. There are also COBRA plans for students graduating out of their schools health plans, so look into that. Good luck. It's not as tough as it seems--most people I talk to say that the first year or two out of college were the most challenging and overwhelming times in their lives--but trust me, once you get going down whatever path you are going--it's smooth sailing in comparison.