Have you recently witnessed a group of seniors having mental breakdowns in your residence hall? Noticed a junior scrolling through the pages of Handshake for summer internships or nervously updating their LinkedIn profile? Welcome to application season. 

For all the 2021 graduates out there, this statement probably induced a flutter of anxiety. If you give your mom or a friend a call to vent about this anxiety, their response will probably be that it is all going to be okay, to which you would respond with a vigorous eye roll and a “yeah, right.” However, if a newspaper columnist tells you it is all going to be okay, you have no choice but to believe it. 

One major cause of anxiety for college students on the job hunt is imposter syndrome. Have you ever felt like it was a mistake someone hired you or gave you an opportunity, or like you are much less capable or intelligent than your peers believe you to be? That’s imposter syndrome. 

An NPR Life Kit article provides several useful tips for overcoming imposter syndrome, like taking a break or making a list of your talents. Simply recognizing that you are experiencing imposter syndrome is also helpful. Remind yourself that everyone else also feels unqualified sometimes, but it doesn’t mean that it’s true. 

I used to feel a sense of shame any time I would apply for something I felt unqualified for like it was an embarrassment for me to even think I was good enough. These thoughts are common, but not helpful to anyone. It never hurts to throw your name in the hat.

Some of these feelings of being unqualified come from our tendency to compare ourselves to others. You are never going to have the most prestigious internship or the most impressive resume, and that is okay. Remember that no matter how little experience you have, someone out there with less experience has gotten a job. Remember the 45th president? Sometimes even the paper-perfect applicant doesn’t get the gig – and if they do, it might not end up being very enjoyable.

So, now you have the confidence to go after the job you want. The next big, anxiety-inducing problem is deciding what job it is that you want. Some people have known since birth that they wanted to be a doctor, teacher or a nurse. For the rest of us non-profit, English and philosophy triple majors, the dream job question feels like more of a nightmare. 

This societal obsession with having a solid career plan is both ridiculous and naive. Life rarely works out how you imagined or planned it – not because you are not good enough to make your dreams come true, but because factors like family crises or global pandemics have a way of throwing things off track. 

Sometimes, it’s good things that derail our plans. Better, unforeseen opportunities come along. A friend invites you to help start a business with them. An afternoon of volunteering turns into a lifelong career. The point is that few career paths are linear. 

I have had multiple mentors in the advertising field who never planned on going into advertising. None of my mentors still hold the jobs they got right out of college. However, any life experience always becomes helpful in unexpected ways. Maybe your first job will introduce you to someone who will help you find your passion, or teach you a skill that will prove necessary in the long run. 

If you do think you have it all figured out, it is okay to change your mind. My dad was a business major until his second semester of the senior year of college when he decided what he really wanted to do was go to dental school. Now, he has been a dentist for the past 30 years – and that business degree was pretty helpful when he started his own practice. 

Life after graduation is going to be okay because you are going to make it be okay. Apply for everything that sounds remotely interesting. You can always change your mind and withdraw the application or turn down the job, but it’s good to hold off on shutting any door of opportunity for as long as possible.

You will feel better once you make a plan, and a back-up plan and a second back-up. These plans are not written in stone – no plan is. Rather, it’s a simple guide to help you figure out what your next move is. Talk through these plans with a parent or a friend, someone who can help keep the imposter syndrome at bay and remind you that you are qualified and deserving of a bright future.

Your first job does not need to be “the dream.” In fact, you don’t ever need to have a job that makes you leap out of bed in the morning and never want to come home. You should value yourself for more than just productivity. There are people in your life who will love you and care for you regardless of if you have the perfect post-grad plan. The real world is a scary ocean of possibility and responsibility, but there are people out there who will never let you drown.

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, William Jewell College has extended student support services in order to promote student welfare during this time. Among these resources include expansion of Student Life support, financial aid policies and academic policies.

According to an email from the Student Life office, Jewell has taken services for academic support, counseling services, health services and career development and internships online. Student Life has also sought to host online programs and activities for the remainder of the semester. 

Office of Counseling Services:

The Office of Counseling Services has taken support online. Students can access tele-mental health services and find what services may be available to them by contacting Dr. Tricia Hager, director of counseling services.

On Mondays and Thursdays from 3-4 p.m., counseling services hosts “Let’s Talk Support Group” with Hager on Zoom. 

Student Life:

Student Life has been providing strategies, tips and opportunities for connection during the pandemic. One of these opportunities is taking Friday Jewell Time online so students can meet with Student Life staffers via Zoom. Student Life is hosting yoga with Kathy Benavidez Thursday nights from 8:15-9 p.m. on Zoom. More information can be found by contacting Student Life and sessions can be joined via this link.

Shelly King, dean of students, said Student Life has gotten positive feedback from students about the continued availability of resources. King also commented on Student Life’s priorities during this time. 

“[Student Life is continuing] to be available and accessible to students during this challenging time,” King said.  “Students used to stop by our office to meet in person so we started a Student Life Jewell Time on Fridays at 10:15.  We had our first one this past Friday and had five students participate.  We’ve had other students ask if it will be continued because they want to participate next time. Zoom has worked great to stay connected and to actually see students during some sessions.” 

Student Health Center:

The Student Health Center is offering tele-health services from Jewell’s nurse practitioner, Paula Brown. The center is open 8 a.m.-12 p.m. Students can call 816-415-5020 or email Brown to schedule appointments. Full time undergraduate students can have tele-health visits for no charge and postgraduates will be charged $15 per visit. 

Students should include a phone number when scheduling appointments – and students will be texted to start appointments. All visits should take place on phones, laptops or computers with camera capabilities. 

Brown is also keeping the Jewell community updated with a Student Health Center blog. Check back at the blog for weekly updates about health and wellness.

Financial Aid:

Financial aid suspended its normal refund policy and will provide refunds for unused room and board costs. Students will be refunded approximately $2,400 for eight weeks worth of room and board fees. Graduating seniors will be refunded via check, and continuing students will have the refunded money credited to their fall semester 2020 tuition and fees. Continuing students may request the refund in the form of a check. For students with an outstanding balance, the refund will go toward that balance, with the remainder being credited to fall semester tuition – or in the form of a refund check. Jewell aimed to distribute checks by April 17.

The College also significantly increased the price threshold for course registration. Now students with an account balance up to $2,500 can register for courses in the fall. Students with an account balance greater than $2,500 were encouraged to contact the financial aid department for assistance with registration.

Students with work-study positions will also continue to receive payments throughout the semester. Students will be paid according to how much they work in a typical week. Work-study students were advised to get in contact with the business office to avoid any disruption in payment. Students with workship positions are not eligible for continued payment but can continue working remotely if possible.

Academic and Tutoring Resources:

Academic resources have taken tutoring services online. Students can find more information about academic resources like tutoring and other academic support at the Academic Achievement Center Moodle course. All tutoring appointments will be online, and more support can be found from Pharamond Guice, director of the Academic Achievement Center.

By keeping tutoring services running, the Academic Achievement Center is both providing free support to students who may be struggling with the move to online courses and is providing support to students with tutoring positions – who can continue earning money despite being off-campus. 

Career Development & Internships

Career Development and Internships is providing assistance and support of career-related needs. All remaining career development events will be held virtually – more information can be found at legacy.jewell.edu/career-development. Marissa Bland, director of Career Development and Internships, can also be contacted for more information about career development and internships.