College life is full of opportunities for students to learn how to excel in their future careers. Unfortunately, some aspects of post-college life can’t be solved by being an expert in exercise science or literary analysis. Regardless of a high-quality education at Northwestern, some post-grads can face certain anxiety when faced with the simple tasks of adult life.
Assistant Dean of Residence Life and Campus Apartments Resident Director Kendall Stanislav wanted to make sure his residents are fully-prepared for the big bad world after NW. To ensure this, Stanislav is introducing Adulting 101, a multi-part series offered to upperclassmen on campus.
“Life after college is going to happen whether you want it to or not,” Stanislav said. “My biggest hope is that students will leave these events with a clearer picture of what one element of their life might look like when they leave college.”
As the RD of apartments, Stanislav has seen a need for his residents to be more fully-prepared to take on life’s challenges.
“Working with the upperclassmen in the apartments, I have realized that there is a need to address the transition out of college and be as intentional with that transition as we are with the transition into college,” Stanislav said. “There are a lot of subjects that students need to learn about and they don’t always fall neatly into the NW curriculum. We are trying to address some of those things through this series.”
Adulting 101 will focus on topics that students will likely face in their future. The series will allow upperclassmen to come together to discuss various topics which aren’t the focus of NW curriculum.
“We’re thinking about topics like finances, faith, cooking, finding friends in new places, tips for the job search and maybe even some basic automotive care,” Stanislav said.
Stanislav is proud of the students he works with and believes that with proper guidance before graduation, NW seniors can be well equipped to enter into the world empowered to live responsibly in the world.
“I hope that through this series students will see that they have a lot of power to shape their lives into what they want them to be,” Stanislav said. “NW students are smart, thoughtful people and I hope they apply their intelligence and thoughtfulness to some of the big decisions in front of them.”
With the opportunities presented through Adulting 101, graduates of the NW campus community will be one step ahead and ultimately have the potential to set themselves apart from many young people facing the same challenges in life after college.
“I hope that this series gets across to students that they can live a life that runs counter to the way many other 22-year-olds live,” Stanislav said.
“I think thoughtfulness in how one chooses to spend their money, where they choose to live, how they grow in their faith and in a host of other areas should be a hallmark of an NW graduate.”
