How to make the most out of your final year as a student

If this is your final year as a student, congratulations! You’ve made it to the last stage of your life as a student and have every right to be proud of yourself. But you may be wondering how to make the most out of your final year.

How do you find the perfect balance between enjoying the last of your ‘student-life’ as much as possible and making sure that you graduate with the right (soft) skills and competencies? Here are five handy tips that will definitely help you graduate in style.

#1 Get organized

The main difference between your final year and all the previous years in your course is probably your dissertation, aka your thesis. The responsibility for getting this done is solely on your shoulders, so staying organized is essential.

Make sure you start working on essays or reports as soon as they are set. Don’t leave assignments until the last week before they are due; start working on them straight away, or at least start planning and structuring them as soon as you get them. Don’t let your work accumulate.

This approach to time management will help you in the long run. Trust us, you’re going to need these skills when you move into the workplace.

#2 Find a rhythm

Although we don’t really believe in a strict 9 to 5 schedule, having some sort of rhythm or general routine definitely isn’t a bad thing when you start working. Your final year as a student is the perfect time to work on that rhythm. This doesn’t mean you have to join the 5AM club but you might consider to start getting out of bed before noon every now and then.

#3 Have fun (lots of it)

Hopefully, you’ll only do your final year once, so you may as well do it well! You don’t want to graduate with any regrets. Enjoy nights out when they come up and let your hair down once in a while – it will really help with motivation.

Don’t worry, your thesis will still be there tomorrow.

#4 Network

Yes, even as a student, you can network, and you should.

Connect with people from your student organization, your lecturers, and colleagues from your internships. These contacts will help you build a professional network and can help kickstart your career.

If you don’t already have a LinkedIn profile or you’re not sure how to use the platform, check out our LinkedIn starterss guide for graduates, it will definitely get you started!

#5 Get hands-on

You already did an internship in your previous years? Perfect! But why not do it again? Or go a step further and go for a paid internship or student job?

Being a student doesn’t mean you can’t be of value to an employer and you’ll learn a lot more about your future working context then your books can ever teach you. The worst thing that can happen is that you’ll learn what you wouldn’t like to do as an actual job so get out there and start applying.

Pro tip: don’t put your studies on the second place. Your main priority this year is making sure you’re graduating in June (or September) so always keep your focus on your studies. You’ll get plenty of chances to only focus on your job as soon as you graduate.

Conclusion

These are your last few months of being a student, so try and enjoy it! These pointers will definitely make your last year as a student one to remember. Good luck, you can do it!

And if you don’t have a clue about what’s next, this blogpost will definitely help you:

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