Managing final year uncertainty

Niraj shares his experience on how to manage uncertainty in the final year of university.

- Niraj Shah

Final year uncertainty is something that a lot of students face during their time at university. In particular, a common cause of uncertainty is uncertainty over the future. However, I found that this is something that can be managed with the right mindset. I wanted to share four things that helped me during my final year:

Don’t rush into a decision, as you may regret it afterwards

This is important to remember when thinking about what career you want to go in. You may be in your final year and have no idea what you want to do as a career after you graduate. This can cause stress and it’s easy to rush into making career choices. However, it is important to take a step back and remember that career choices are big decisions and ones that cannot be rushed. In the long run, it is better to take your time with it rather than make a rushed decision that you will regret. You have your whole life ahead of you after you graduate, and therefore there is nothing wrong with taking some time after you graduate to make informed career decisions.

Don’t run away from the issue, do something about it

From my experience, it can be scary to accept the uncertainty in your final year of university. However, it is important to take steps to manage it and do something about it. Not doing anything about it won’t make the issue go away, as you will have to face the issue eventually. There are many things that can be done, whether that is talking to someone you trust, putting aside time to research career options or even prioritising the things that are important. I have found from my experiences that procrastination can be a big barrier to taking steps to manage uncertainty.

Keep things in perspective

I am someone that graduated 3 years ago, and I can definitely say that the final year is a very small part of your life. At the time, it can seem like your final year of university is the be all and end all, which can make the fear of failing overwhelming. However, it is important to look at the bigger picture. After graduation, there are so many avenues you can go down, even if you don’t get the career or grades that you wanted. Furthermore, it is entirely possible to take a different path to the one you envisaged at university, and for that to work out better. 

Focus on the present

It goes without saying, but university is such a unique experience, and you don’t want to have regrets over not having and enjoying the full university experience after you graduate. For me, I stressed over such small issues, which made it harder for me to be in the present and embrace the university experience whilst I had it. This has led to regrets. When it comes to uncertainty in the final year of university, a lot of things that you are stressed about won’t matter in 5 years’ time. Although that doesn’t take away the stress and worry, it is even more reason to embrace the present for what it is.

We know that experiencing mental health difficulties at university can feel overwhelming. Explore the support that is available at your university and further.

I am Niraj, and I graduated from university 3 years ago. I struggled with my mental health at university, and I want to share my experiences to help others.