How to Live After Graduating From College
Graduating from college marks an exciting turning point in your life. If you're like many college graduates, the time following your graduation will offer you your first experience of living completely independently. It can be thrilling and daunting at the same time. If you feel overwhelmed, rest assured that countless others have survived -- and thrived -- in the postcollege world of jobs, relationships and money management.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Talk to your parents, friends or other supporters about your needs, fears and desires following your graduation from college. Your parents will probably understand if you need to spend a week or two at home to transition to your postcollege life after you graduate. Before you move out of your dorm or off-campus housing, make arrangements with your parents or friends for a temporary living situation until you can get settled on your own.
-
2
Discuss the possibility of moving with some of your friends to a major city where you all have a better chance of finding a job and an apartment together. Cities on the east and west coasts of the United States are popular postcollege destinations for recent graduates -- consider Los Angeles, Berkeley, Calif., San Francisco, New York, Washington, D.C., Boston or Philadelphia as the first stop in your adult life.
-
-
3
Start apartment hunting. Once you've identified the city where you want to live, browse classified ads for available housing that will suit your needs. Typically, one bedroom per occupant is standard. The more bedrooms and bathrooms per house or apartment, the higher the rent.
-
4
Decide how you will split the rent with your friends and set a budget before you contact a realtor or start browsing online apartment listings. Remember you can avoid paying realtor fees if you pick up a lease directly from an occupant, rather than contacting building management companies or realtors.
-
5
Group your apartment viewings into similar areas, so that you can visit multiple apartments in the same area of the city each day before you decide to rent. Once you and your friends visit an apartment or house that meets your needs and expectations, act quickly. Apartments in major urban centers tend to rent fast, and if you spend too long deciding, you could lose your chance and have to settle for something subpar.
-
6
Go to the lease signing together with everyone who will be sharing the house or apartment with you. This will make the process faster and the information in the lease will be clear to everyone involved. You will usually need to pay first month's rent, last month's rent and the security deposit -- equal to one month's rent -- up front when you sign the lease. If you don't have enough savings to cover the initial cost, discuss the possibility of taking out a loan from your parents that you will pay back once you have a job.
-
7
Look for a job. Contact your supervisors from past jobs in industries you enjoyed to see if they have any contacts in the city where you will live. Ask them politely via e-mail or over the phone whether they would be willing to be a professional reference for you. Browse job listings on websites like Monster (monster.com), CareerBuilder (careerbuilder.com) or Craigslist (craigslist.org).
-
8
Make sure your resume is up-to-date and completely free of errors and typos. Enlist the help of your college's career services office to give your resume a professional formatting job. Most schools extend these services to their alumni free of charge. Work on your cover letter template, and keep in mind that for each job you apply to, you will need to personalize the template extensively to increase the likelihood that you will be granted an interview.
-
9
Dress the part. Once you graduate from college, it's no longer considered acceptable to live in sweatpants and flip-flops year-round. For job interviews, you will need conservative, professional clothing. You can never go wrong with a well-tailored suit in a dark, neutral color. When in doubt, always overdress, even if you're fairly sure the workplace where you're interviewing has a casual dress code. Men need a good pair of black or brown lace-up shoes, and women can always wear a high-heel pump in black or beige to look polished and presentable.
-
10
Find furniture for your apartment. Once you've secured a job or a loan, look for second-hand furniture online or in consignment or discount furniture stores. Try to buy a new mattress and upholstered furniture if you can. With used furniture, you can never be sure these items are totally free of bedbugs or other unsavory infestations.
-
11
Set up a chore schedule with your roommates. Chores should be shared on a rotating basis so nobody feels singled out and everyone pulls their weight. Group chores according to common areas in your house or apartment. Cleaning the bathroom, kitchen and living room are major priorities.
-
12
Agree on a grocery shopping system with your friends. It's fine for everyone to do their own shopping if everyone agrees not to use other people's items. Some shared houses, however, like to split the costs of everyday necessities. If you choose to share the cost of basic household items, stick a list to your refrigerator door where everyone can write in what they bought, when they bought it and how much it cost. You can also all donate a set amount to a monthly coffer that can be used to buy essentials.
-
13
Try new things. Expand your social circle and your mind by getting outside your comfort zone and discovering all your new phase of life has to offer. Take a cooking or dance class. Visit a museum. Take a day trip to a part of the city or state you've never seen before. You'll meet new people, make new friends and discover new hobbies and passions by taking small risks whenever you have down time.
-
1
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Comstock Images/Comstock/Getty Images
