Although it’s currently difficult to imagine our campus as anything but covered in snow, spring will be here before we know it, and graduation season will arrive alongside the green leaves, colorful flowers and pleasant weather. In four short months, seniors will cross Hearn Plaza to receive their hard-earned diplomas, hoping the last few years have given them the skills they’ll need in the “real world.” 

“College really is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Caroline Collins, who graduated in May 2025, said. “There will never be a period in your life where you’re going to be living with all your friends in the same campus bubble again.” 

Wake Forest tends to set its students up for success. According to 2023 data from the Wake Forest Fact Book, 65% of recent graduates are employed, 32% are attending graduate and professional schools and only 2% are seeking employment. Even so, leaving the Wake Forest bubble can be intimidating. Whether graduates are continuing with studies, entering the job market or taking a gap year, it is undoubtedly a step into the unknown. 

For 2025 graduate Lillian MacKinney, leaving Wake Forest felt like venturing into uncharted territory. After earning her bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Art, MacKinney moved to Milwaukee to work for Teach For America and pursue an online master’s degree in elementary education from Western Governors University. 

“[Milwaukee] is a very random place that I feel like people don’t go to after college,” MacKinney said. 

MacKinney received her job offer in October of her senior year, so she felt at peace about postgraduate employment. But she said moving to a new city without knowing anybody was frightening. 

“I think about my social life all the time,” MacKinney said. “When I graduated, the social transition was difficult. I moved to a place where nobody is… I really miss my friends from Wake Forest, but I also feel like it is such a cool experience of being in the world and trying to make new friends.”

2025 graduate Luke Anders also embraced life in a new city. After majoring in Spanish and communication with a concentration in integrated communication strategies, he moved to Dallas to work at PepsiCo Foods as an associate marketing analyst. Like MacKinney, Anders had to adjust to an entirely different social scene. 

“People often take for granted what they have when they’re in college,” Anders said. “You’re in a community that’s super outgoing and welcoming, and it’s easy to make friends because everybody’s there.”

However, Anders said he is finding his footing in his new hometown.

“Moving to Dallas was different, but… [it’s] a super vibrant city where there’s lots of personalities,” Anders said. “The transition at first was a little bit harder than expected. As the months go on, you definitely find your people and get closer to them.”

While exploring new cities can be exciting, there can also be value in returning to the familiar. Collins chose to stay in Winston-Salem to earn her master’s degree in English at her alma mater. 

“I wanted to continue furthering my education, and I decided that I wanted to get my master’s degree at Wake Forest,” she said. “I’m so excited. I’m getting to [spend] an extra two bonus years at the school I love that has given me so much.” 

Harrison Shephard also returned to a familiar city, moving back home to Mooresville, North Carolina after graduating in 2025. A major in environmental and sustainability studies and double minor in communication and politics and international affairs, Shephard elected to spend time preparing for postgraduate education. 

“I’ve been working at a restaurant and [I’m taking] a gap year for law school,” Shephard said.

For seniors preparing for their undergraduate studies to come to an end, Shephard suggests networking and staying in touch with peers and professors. 

“If you’re planning on graduate school, get contact information for professors that you’re close with,” Shephard said. “Take the time to meet people in the field and have some backup contacts.” 

Anders encourages graduates to go beyond their comfort zones and take advantage of new possibilities.

“When thinking about post-grad, be open to new opportunities, new places and new people that you might not think fit perfectly into your life,” Anders said. “I took a chance on moving to Dallas… it was an adventure to move away from home, to meet new people, and to enter a totally different industry from lots of my friends, but it gives you exposure to different parts of the world and different perspectives. It really opens your eyes to what there is outside of what you experience in college.” 

Collins urges current seniors to be present during their last semester and make the most of every Wake Forest opportunity. 

“Live in those final moments with your friends and just soak it all up and enjoy,” Collins said. “Every moment could be the last time, so make the most of every chance you get.” 

Despite their diverging paths, these graduates all said that Wake Forest has given them the skills and connections to “make it in the real world.” 

“Everything happens for a reason,” Collins said. “If you don’t have everything about post-grad figured out, you will figure it out.”