The Plague

Recently, I have learned a lot about a disease that every undergraduate catches before they graduate. Unfortunately, it is terminal. If you have not already caught this bug, then be prepared... At most, you have three years left before you start putting “last” in front of everything you do. On the plus side, you won’t be alone when you catch the disease… the disease of being a senior.

Almost on a weekly basis, I meet an underclassman, and, after the formalities and perhaps an exchange of majors and interests, there is the inevitable query, “What year are you?” “I’m a senior.” Their facial expression immediately turns to a sympathetic look when they respond, “Ohhhh, you’re a senior.” There are several variations of this conversation, but there is always an expression of pitying sympathy, similar to one’s reaction to finding a lost dog with a broken leg or a child whose favorite toy has been broken. If any passerby were to see the underclassman’s face, he might think I had a terminal medical condition.

After the diagnosis comes the most frequently asked and dreaded question, “So what are you doing next year?” Depending on the timing of this question, it will be answered with anything from, “I’m glad you asked!” to “Ugh, I don’t know yet.” Either way, the myth that seniors have their lives figured out by the time they graduate is clear. I believe that, through our Duke education, we learn that the future has a lot more possibilities than we could have ever imagined as freshmen.

According to surveys distributed by the Career Center to seniors, around two-thirds of the senior class reported having their next step figured out. The two largest groups of seniors, generally, are those pursuing further education and those accepted a job, but that still only accounts for about 60 percent of the class. In the past four years, anywhere from a nine to 12 percent of the senior class reported that they are unsure of their post-graduation plans. Also, people who are seeking employment can make up 15 to 22 percent of the class. That makes for about a third of the class without a clear next step.

When we come to Duke as freshmen, many of us have what I like to call the “12-year plan.” We believe we have got everything worked out, down to the other degrees we will have or ladders we will climb, but sometimes things don’t always go according to plan. Perhaps, even after working so hard in all your pre-med classes to keep that stellar GPA, the medical school applications don’t come back with acceptances; perhaps, the path to graduate school is blocked by poor GRE scores. Sometimes, you even realize that engineering is not as exciting as you thought it might be, so you decide to pursue something else. For a few, it is even the realization that they are meant to start their own company when leaving Duke, but that can be full of just as many unknowns.

So of course people must ask seniors, “How does it feel to be graduating?” I really have no answer to this, other than that the miserable conversations filled with “We’ll miss you!” while we’re still on campus make it feel like we are walking the last mile. Maybe being a senior just feels like you have learned enough to know that you don’t have it all together, but you know a little more about what you want to do or don’t want to do than four years ago. I knew a guy who worked so hard in Pratt because he was sure that he wanted to have a job in aerospace engineering. He had engineering internships during all of his summers, from automotive manufacturing to consumer products, but it was not until the end of his junior year when he took an aerospace class that he decided it was not for him. Now he will be working in consulting, but I’m sure he didn’t see that coming as a sophomore (let alone know what consulting is).

I write all of this as cautionary tale to those of you who have not yet caught the senior plague, so that you might be open to different possibilities for the future and don’t get so locked into your “plan” that you miss the better one for you. If you really must look at seniors as a dying breed, then take advantage of the opportunity right now to talk with us and learn from our triumphs and failures. We still want to get to know you and become your friend. Many people I befriended during their senior year are still good friends, mostly thanks to the wonders of Facebook and G-chat. Therefore, do not be afraid to get close.

Caleb Duncanson is a Pratt senior. His column runs every other Friday. Follow Caleb on Twitter @CMDuncanson