March to Graduation Prepares Students for Adulthood

Thanks to a three-part series offered by the Student Life Office, some of this year’s graduating seniors will have an edge as they begin their adult lives. “The March to Graduation focused on preparing seniors for life after graduation,” said Sean Terry, student affairs assistant for evening and weekend life. “You need to know a lot of practical life skills that aren’t covered in class.”

Those skills include managing a job search, paying your bills, and life skills that are obvious once you know them—and completely unknowable before that. That’s why the first March to Graduation event featured a panel of young alumni on hand to give attendees “the advice they wish they’d had when they graduated,” according to Terry.

The second event, Financing Your Future, attracted sophomores and juniors as well as seniors. “It covered a lot of financial information like credit, budgeting, student loan repayment, and different way to build credit and even plan for your retirement with 401Ks,” said Terry. “We wanted students to think ahead to those big financial decisions.”

Not Everyone Gets a Trophy: Tips for Surviving Your Job Search was presented by the Career Development Center. “Besides explaining that you will probably have to send out hundreds of resumes, this session described some of the decisions involved in choosing a job,” said Terry. “Where do you want to live? How flexible are you? What benefits do you need?”

Terry holds a bachelor’s in public communication from Buffalo State and a master’s in student affairs administration from Binghamton University.

“We decided to offer these sessions so our students would feel better prepared after graduation,” he said. “Many people learn by life experience, and the term ‘adulting’ is used a lot by students and millennials. It refers to any skill that’s related to regular adult life, from folding a fitted sheet to choosing financial investments. Often, students haven’t had the opportunity to learn those skills. It’s hard to say if ‘adulting’ classes are really a new idea, or if it’s just a new way to impart life skills to today’s young adults.”

Judging by the number of students who attended the evening sessions, March to Graduation met seniors’ desires to learn more about the routine yet essential aspects of adulthood. Terry said, “We hope to be able to offer it again next year.”