As you may know by now, I define “new grad” as anyone who’s graduated within the last 2 years; but some may identify as a new grad long after that. I define the “new grad” experience as being the adjustment from the comfort and safety of schooling and permanently being surrounded by peers to the true independent nature of adulthood, and all the expectations that come with it. Day drunk on St. Patrick’s and passed out on the street? It’s no longer cute or funny – you now have a serious problem and your friends and family have cornered you into an intervention.
Without further ado, here are 20 GIFs that describe 20 different new grad feelings:
1. At Your Graduation
2. One Week After Graduation
3. Moving Back in With Your Parents
4. At Your First Day of Work
5. When Partying With Friends Turns Into Tame Nights In
6. Figuring Out How to Pay Your Taxes
7. When People Ask You What You’re Doing With Your Life
8. When People From Your Graduating Class Start Buying Houses and/or Getting Married
9. Navigating Office Politics Like
10. When Work Starts to Take Over Your Whole Life
11. When You Finally Feel Like You’re Figuring it Out Because You Now Have a Meal Plan and a Skincare Routine
12. Finding Out Through Your Older Coworkers That Adults Are Just Like You, But Are Better at Pretending to Be Mature
13. When You’re The Single Friend, and Your Friends Keep Trying to Set You Up
14. When You Try and Go Out With Friends But Your Body is Accustomed to Your 9pm Bedtime
15. Seeing Your Old College Roommates and Transforming into Your Old Self
16. Getting Used to Not Writing ‘Student’ as Your Occupation
17. Strongly Considering Whether You Should Move Across the World Solely Because You Can
18. Treating Yourself Because You’re No Longer Entirely Broke and Drowning in Student Loans
The Struggling Graduate 