14 Pieces of Advice for Graduating Seniors & Undergrad Students

​Murdy Creative Co. is encouraging their patrons to participate in Note-vember, a month where you write for the sake writing every day. While I am not going to post every day, I am going to post each week using a different prompt. I do want the posts to be helpful, so I’ve Googled some other prompts for today. But do check out Murdy and their prompts by subscribing to their newsletter.

This week’s prompt: 14 Pieces of Advice to Graduating Seniors & Undergrad Students
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1. Find Godly friends and keep them close. They will be an encouragement to you and will help you through the difficulties that you will experience.
2. Seek out an older, Godly mentor. He/She will be a blessing in your life and a great sounding board for you.
3. Remember, your identity is not connected to your grades. Your identity is rooted in Christ and your academic performance will not affect your identity. See Colossians 1.22.
4. Give your best in school. Though your identity is not connected to your grades, you are to still give your best in school (and the same goes for your job, too). See Colossians 3.23.
5. Find a hobby. You need something that you enjoy doing and can do as often as possible. That has changed for me over time. For me, my hobbies have ranged from running, fishing, shooting, woodworking, and video games.
6. Be intentional about your Quiet Time. Your quiet time may happen early in the morning, at lunch, or at night. Regardless of when you have a quiet time, make it a priority and do it often. It will only become a habit as you consistently do it.
7. You don’t have it all figured out. This has been oddly reassuring for me. You don’t have to have it all figured out. God gives you the grace you need even when you don’t know all that’s going on.
8. Read a book often. When you get to college, your professors choose your reading material. Even so, make it a point to read a book of your choice, regardless of genre or length.
9. Your heart is like a wine glass; strong yet delicate. My Dad gave me this piece of advice after a major heartbreak. He told me that my heart is strong and can withstand the pain and hurt that is inevitable with life, but I had to be careful to not let bitterness, anger, and hurt shatter my heart. It’s like a wine glass. It can hold a great deal of weight, but handled wrongly, it will shatter into countless pieces.
10. Talk things out. Many things are more complex that we care to admit. Some things are so complex that you need to talk it out with close and trusted friends and leaders. Talk it out and be okay with having to wrestle with tough ideas, but do not go at it alone.
11. Develop a new skill or hone one in. Is there something you’ve always wanted to do but don’t know how? Start reading up on it and develop that skill. If you need to hone one in, start doing it more. The added benefit of doing this is that you can save money. I’ve learned how to do many home repairs and have not had to call someone to do it for me.
12. Travel. You don’t have to travel internationally, but it’s nice if you can. If you can’t travel internationally, you can visit a nearby state. I was at Orange Beach for a conference a year ago and realized that I had never driven in Florida. One day, during a break, I got in my car and drove to Florida. I didn’t see anything special, but I’ve now driven in Florida.
13. Memorize Scripture. God cannot recall to your mind that which you have not read or memorized. Start small and work your way up. I memorized Romans 5.1-5 by memorizing a verse a day for 5 days.
14. Stay (or Get) involved in the Local Church. You need the Church and the Church needs you. If you are a believer, you have a responsibility to be plugged in with the Local Church (Heb. 10.25). I served under a Pastor who said this: “You don’t need to be an active member of the church to be saved. But know this: While God won’t love you less for not coming to church, you will not grow in your love for God.”

 
I hope that these have been helpful. I’ve learned many of these through the School of Hard knocks, but I’m thankful for the lessons. I’m still trying to figure many things out, and that’s okay because one never has life all figured out. It’s a journey, so stay the course and keep on keeping on.
 
On the journey,
-KT
 
Note: Post updated on 4 February 2021.