The End is Near

It seems that this is a common phrase that has been uttered with increasing frequency this semester.  Any variation of the phrase really, such as "Almost There", "Just a Few More Weeks" and "Last *fill in the blank* Ever!".  These are just simple ways for those of us who are graduating are staying motivated throughout the last few weeks of school.  Some seniors are still on the job search, trying to find a good fit for our first "real" job after graduation.  Others are looking at starting grad school or moving back home to figure out what they want to do.  I have been lucky enough to have settled down a job to start after graduation before the end of March. I've only had to continue my work at school and in my current job with as much enthusiasm as possible in order to keep being productive for a few weeks before I have to start in the "real" world.


The biggest piece of this puzzle seemed to be an apartment.  I spent several weeks on the apartment hunt, finding a place that would line up with my (probably unreasonable) list of expectations.  Downtown or Plaza area, reasonable rent, fitness center, nice management, safe area, washer and dryer preferred, etc and so forth.  I had found several properties that I liked but I kept going back to one apartment building in particular.  I didn't want to choose an apartment until my mom intended to be in town over Easter to apartment hunt with me.  So when a unit came available at this particular place, I impatiently waited the day I could go in to tour with my mom.  As soon as I saw the apartment, I knew that I wanted to live there, but I toured others to appease my mom and to be 100% sure.  A few hours later, over lunch, I called the property manager and told her that I wanted to come in and fill out the application.  She told me that she would save the spot for me and to just come in later that afternoon.  When I arrived to fill out paperwork, the apartment manager told me that three other people had toured and wanted to make an offer/ fill out an application, but since I called, she had told them it wasn't available to save it for me!  She also told me that she had shown the property 15 times over the past week, with no good fits, so it is obvious to me that it was meant to be for me to live there!  I will be able to move in the weekend of graduation, a time when I will also have lots of helpers in town for moving everything.

Overall, it seems that I have found a great fit for a job, an apartment, and I will be able to start my first year after graduation much better than is often expected for college graduates these days: debt free, with a well-paying job and living in my first-choice apartment! I can't wait to see what else will be in store!