As the beginning ends
January 19, 2026 9:13 PM
Christmas, or whatever non-denominational holiday you associate the break between first and second semester with, is a time for students to unwind and prepare for another 14 weeks of hard work.
However, I am surely not the only one who spent this past break stressing over references, transcript requests and five page letters of intent. However often I wonder where the time went, the fact remains that I am graduating in May, and the Next Step must be determined.
I have loosely decided that my next step is graduate school, and even though I know it’s not the end of the world if I don’t gain entry into the programs to which I applied, the process of applying was one of the most stressful experiences I have put myself through.
Of course, this resulted in copious amounts of whining to my family about my break being stolen from me by this process. This whining was met by unsympathetic faces and exclamations of “suck it up and get it done.”
It seems that every time a member of our generation vents about how much work we have to do, or how much time we spend stressing about our futures, the members of the generation directly above ours share the common belief that they went through the very same thing.
This is something that I do not agree with. While I don’t doubt that my parents worked hard to finish their degrees, the expectations we face are very different.
With the job market thinning, a bachelor’s degree doesn’t pack the same punch it did thirty years ago. Now, to be a viable candidate for a position you want, master’s degrees, doctorates, and even multiple diplomas are becoming necessary assets.
What this means is that once you’ve finished juggling a degree at StFX with a full time job and a social life, your career as a student is not over. You’ll continue to be asked to push yourself beyond what you thought you were capable of, but chances are, you’ll be grateful.
You’ll be grateful for the all-nighter you pulled finishing a paper, the exams you crammed for, and the professors who shaped your learning experience. All of the success and failure you experienced at StFX have prepared you for the challenges the world will no doubt throw your way.
So if you had a Christmas break freak-out similar to mine, take heed of the fact that you got off to a great start, and let the chips fall where they may. Enjoy your last few months here, and remember that although it feels like the end, it’s really only the beginning.