Student Blog: Preparing for Life without a Syllabus - Goals and Mindsets for a Senior’s Final Semester

As the ball dropped at midnight on January 1, a physical reset occurred within my body, one that signaled the significance of the year 2026 in the chronicle of my life. For each preceding new year, I was always able to visualize exactly where I would be located and what I would be doing in the year ahead. There were always slight uncertainties – like where exactly I would attend college or what my precise workload would be – but, without a doubt, there was security in knowing I had a place to live and a role in life as a student continuing her education.

As I reach my final collegiate semester and the end of my senior year, I sit on a precipice of uncertainty. There is no telling where I will be living, what I will be doing, or who I will be interacting with a year from now. The possibilities are endless and daunting; one of the downsides of being an arts/communications professional is the inability to secure employment opportunities far in advance, but I refuse to let this uncertainty cast a gloom over my final semester. The safe haven of college is not over yet, friends! I have always found New Year's resolutions to be a bit frivolous and difficult to maintain, but I’ve focused this January on setting reasonable goals for myself to mentally prepare for the busy semester ahead.

As stated in my previous blog this semester, I will be balancing classes, an internship, being cast in a mainstage production, and planning a conference for my school's chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America. Looking at my responsibilities jumbled together is enough to make anyone nauseous, but I want to continue working on a key skill in time management: prioritization. 

It’s impossible to compartmentalize your brain to focus on juggling multiple different responsibilities at the same time. I have mapped out my semester ahead and determined where my priorities must lie as the months progress. My show, Detroit ‘67, is at the end of February with an extremely short window of rehearsal time, so naturally, my first month of school will be laser-focused on giving the best performance possible. I have already prepared by getting off-book during winter break, so a big chunk of the most tediouswork is done. Once the show is blocked and on its feet, it will be significantly easier to transfer my knowledge of the script into my muscle memory. Despite realistically being able to do both at the same time, I have taken days off from my internship during tech week and performances. I know I will want to zone in on my performance during that crucial period of time, working the entire day before is not conducive, and that’s the difficult part of prioritizing: saying no to certain responsibilities and setting aside time for self-preservation. 

The conference I am heading is not slated until mid-April, so it must also be put on the back burner to ensure I succeed within my show. This does not mean I am ducking out entirely and leaving my conference team in the dust; I ensured I mapped out February for each of my fellow e-board members, so they know exactly what must be accomplished this month without needing me to constantly monitor. It is also important to note here that having a supportive team helping with your endeavors is just as crucial as having a strong sense of determination and work ethic. Events such as our conference can not be handled by one person, and I am lucky to have a team I trust ready to pick up my slack when my energy must be focused elsewhere.  

A pivotal mindset I am trying to adopt while undertaking so much is that the most important part of these experiences is not a perfect end-product, but rather meaningful connections forged through collective hard work. I have always loved theatre because of its unconditional reliance on teamwork; there are so many moving pieces in putting on a show, and each person’s role is equally important in ensuring success. While, of course, I will focus on contributing my own personal best efforts to each responsibility, I want to take the time to appreciate the hard work of others and bond with them over our commitment towards a shared effort. In time, we each forget the individual hours that went into our burdening commitments, but the connections made during that time are what endure for years to come. 

Although my time as a “student” is rapidly closing, I have a very difficult time abandoning this identity. My entire conscious life, I have been a student, attempting to take in as much knowledge as I possibly can to lead a successful life, but true learning does not halt when a degree is earned. After I graduate, I will no longer be a student at Hofstra, but I will continue to be a student of the world. I want to continue to cultivate my critical thinking skills, empathy and problem-solving abilities. This final semester is far from a traditional, “sit in class and listen to the teacher,” student-experience. I will be actively contributing to realized experiences with real-world consequences, and I find this semester a great opportunity to test-run the mindset of constant learning. I encourage any other seniors who may be reading this to adopt some of these same mindsets – prioritization, fostering connection and continued learning – to remain constantly curious and ready to adapt to what the world has to offer you.