By Danny Deza

The days of Solo cups, Greek life, beer pong and thirsty Thursdays are coming to an end for some graduating seniors, many officials say. This may then be replaced by business suits and casual Fridays.

Identity problems and anxiety about entering the adult world have become common trends among people in their mid-20s, leaving students in fear about the future. This new phenomenon is called the quarter-life crisis.

Jessica Gitlitz, who graduated this summer, said she felt the pressures of the adult world. With a degree in business administration but her heart set on a career in photography, Gitlitz has been fighting feelings of intense doubt, leaving her with unanswered question of “Is this what I really want to do with my life?”

“We are all freaking out and you don’t want to leave college,” Gitlitz said. “Entering the business world can be scary and can create fear. The thoughts about the real world and having to take care of myself made me feel like I aged 10 years.”

However, Gitlitz said co-op gives students an advantage and can help soften the blow of venturing into the adult world.

“I think Career Services helps just as much as co-op and if you get a good job off [myNEU] Cool then you’re set,” she said. “The five year programs really do help you see how your friends from other universities handled the transition overall the experience of co-op really helped me out.”

Juggling photography with the realistic attitude of living in New York City has led Gitlitz to rethink her career choices and use the resources Northeastern provides alumni.

“I am looking for jobs now and the best thing about that is I can still contact Career Services at Northeastern and they help me by giving me newsletters and counseling,” she said. “It is so nerve-wracking to find a job and trying to live in New York City, but it’s comforting to know that you are still affiliated with the university.”

Joanna Gerakis is a 28-year-old senior working toward a degree in international affairs. Her excitement to graduate comes from many years of reflecting on life goals and finding new paths that got her to where she is today.

After working for Starbucks and Delta airlines from age 19 through 23, Gerakis found herself going through a quarter-life crisis. She enrolled at Bunker Hill Community College and then transferred to Northeastern to pursue her dream of helping out the community.

“I was very young and I did not know what I wanted to do with my life,” Gerakis said. “After the third year of being a flight attendant and having the thought of going back to school, I became restless and I knew I was ready to do something more.”

Gerakis has been offered a job with the Office of Student Employment and is not scared to graduate.

“I am very comfortable with graduating,” she said. “When you are pressured, that’s when you can have the ‘oh my God’ feeling, I have learned that you need that space in between to think about what you have learned, what you have done and where would you want to work in the future.”

Kari von Knoblack, the international affairs co-op coordinator, said she could not wait to graduate from college, until she explored other options and enrolled in graduate school for international education instead.

“Students can feel anxious about [their future] and might not know what they want to do,” von Knoblach said. “Northeastern students have the advantage and they can start exploring careers that most students can’t so I would say that the anxiety could start the pressure a little sooner.”

The department of Career Services offers graduating seniors many programs and workshops to help students with the process of finding a job. Examples include job search crash course, which is an interviewing process where student rotate throughout the room and can talk to alumni who share their experiences.

“Toward the end of the semester we get students coming here and in a panic. We definitely get people who want to find a job before they leave and get a varying degree of anxiety,” said Diane Ciarletta, associate director for the department of Career Services. “We do a lot of things like sitting with a student who can get an hour appointment where we help them work out a strategy, as well as promoting group workshops.”

Ciarletta said many Northeastern students do feel prepared for the world, but the prospect of graduating and the transition to the real world is what can cause anxiety.

“I have my moments of regret. I sometimes think ‘I’m 28, I am still in school, what am I doing?'” Gerakis said. “But it’s all about reflecting and not letting this bubble for age consume your schooling.”