For some in December, and a majority in May, there are seniors who are getting ready to graduate and go out into the real world, a scary thought. Even scarier: are we ready to graduate?

To elaborate more on the question, what I’m focusing on is whether or not Millikin has prepared us to graduate. The focus will not only be on the seniors who are getting ready to leave but also on those who will graduate in one, two and three years, maybe even a little more than that. So, has Millikin prepared us?

Yes and no.

The education here has been wonderful. I have always loved my teachers, both during my time when I was an early childhood education major and as an English writing major. And of course, as Millikin promises, we get hands-on learning experiences.

As a writing major, I’ve experienced sophomore writing portfolio, and I am currently enrolled in senior writing portfolio. All of my classes have been a great experience, but I feel these two will help me the most. In senior writing portfolio, we’re writing cover letters and gathering publishing venues as part of a career project, and that will definitely come in handy in the near future when I graduate in December.

I spoke to one alum, who wished to keep their name anonymous, who said that Millikin did help them prepare to graduate by helping with great communication skills and learning how to work and adapt to a variety of people.

“That came from being extremely involved,” anonymous said. “The one critique I have is that there needs to be more focus in senior year in helping student job search and resume and cover letter development.

“I feel that having a well-developed resume prior to graduation would help drastically in the application process.”

I have to agree with that. While I know that the Career Center can provide this help, what if Millikin had a class dedicated to it? Maybe meeting once a week for about a month or so, a one credit course. It may seem silly, but it could be helpful for a lot of seniors.

Aside from that point, I don’t think it’s the education that’s prepared me to graduate. It’s provided a good foundation; there’s no doubt about that. But if I were to reflect on my entire career as a student here at Millikin, I feel that my experiences have shaped me the most, both the good and the bad.

The bad experiences have reminded me that sometimes, my instincts can be right about people and that despite claims of perfection, there’s usually a flaw. They’ve been life lessons; stressful and upsetting life lessons but important lessons nonetheless.

The good experiences have been developed by being a part of several organizations and having great friends. My first friends here definitely helped me grow outside of my box a bit considering I was a very shy person coming to college for the first time. Without them, I probably wouldn’t have grown out of my shyness and wouldn’t have socialized as much.

Being invited to work for the Decaturian by Lindsey was a very life-changing moment for me. I had to choose between an IEA meeting and the meeting for the Decaturian, and when I chose the Decaturian, thus started my change towards moving to majoring in writing.

Finally, becoming a part of Sigma Lambda Gamma has really changed who I am as a whole. I developed more as a leader and learned to not be afraid of letting my voice be heard. This was another life-changing moment in my college career.

All of these experiences and more have helped me prepare to graduate by letting me move out of my shell. If it hadn’t been for these experiences, I’m not really sure if I would have been ready to graduate. I would have the education from senior writing portfolio of writing cover letters, but I think I would be a lot more nervous, and my leadership qualities would have been mute.

Overall, Millikin has had its ups and downs. The education is great here, but there are some tweaks to be made that could make it better. But don’t let the education be the only thing you experience; get in student organizations, volunteer and participate in anything else you can.

The education is a good foundation, but your experiences will help build the rest of the house that will be your life. Let it be a sturdy and well-supported one.