Gone are the days of day drinking and formals, getting dressed up to get messed up, and, of course, spending every waking moment with your sisters. Graduation is one of the best times in a young woman’s life, but it can also be a difficult transition period. FOMO, or Fear Of Missing Out for those of you not into abbreviating literally everything, can be very real. Lucky for you, I’ve come up with some tips to help new grads steer clear of it.
Tip #1: Do not get involved with campus drama. At all.
Your sisters are going to text you to tell you how much they miss you and to ask for your advice. When this happens, try your best (seriously, stop yourself) not to get too involved. Of course you’ll give your sisters excellent advice since you have such a wealth of knowledge on the subject, but it should end there. Don’t text frat boys to get the inside scoop and do not try to be the mediator. It might be tough at first but you have to let them figure it out for themselves now that your pledge class has graduated.
Tip #2: Do not stalk your sisters on Instagram.
I pinky promise you do not/will not want to see pictures of your perfect family having fun and narrowly avoiding standards without you. ‘Like’ your little and grandlittle’s pictures and text them to make sure they are safe, but don’t get too bummed out when they look like they’re actually having fun without you. You did make them adore you — and then you graduated and left them.
Tip #3: Do not check your chapter’s Facebook page.
If your chapter takes each class of graduating seniors off the page immediately upon graduating, consider yourself lucky. Watching the girl who took over your committee/officer position relentlessly post about it can be hard. Just remember your sisters are very capable of doing a great job. You did help pick them after all.
Tip #4: Do congratulate your sisters when they host a successful philanthropy event, win a campus award, etc.
Always let them know you are proud of them and that you truly believe in them. You might have been the sister they looked up to, so you never know how much your kind words will mean to them. This also shows that you still care and wish the best for your friends.
I hope this helped you recent grads feel a little less alone in the real world. Now get some sleep so you won’t be late to work tomorrow.