As I keep saying, I want to work at a university one day. I am not going to get into the nitty gritty of what my dream job is, mostly because it is complex to explain and follow. 

At the end of the day, I just want to be able to support the students that interact with on a regular basis with the highest quality resources for them to be successful both in college and after they graduate. 

I keep having graduate school interviews. Within a three-week span, I have had a wide variety of interviews for various types of positions from student life to housing to academic advising to educational resource centers to career services.  

Before I continue, I would like to say that I would be lucky to attend any school that I get accepted to. I am very lucky to even get interviewed by these institutions and I am excited to see where I will end up.  

This column is not about why I am nervous about going to graduate school (even though that this is true). This is about how after these interviews I was excited about going to graduate school.  

As these interviews have been happening, I am nervous. I am anxious to see where I will get graduate assistantships and what student affairs offices that they will be in.  

As these interviews are ending, I have begun to realize how close going to graduate school is. And even more freakily, two years after this, I will be walking across the stage at my graduate school graduation (hopefully). 

After I spend two minutes walking across the stage, I will have to start life as an adult fully on my own with a very minimal support system and structure.  

I am sure you can tell that I am examining what my next steps will look and be like. Part of the graduate school search for me is trying to determine where I will live, how much it will cost to live wherever I move, and what I can afford on my graduate assistantship stipend, among other things.  

For me, that has been exciting. I love looking up apartments, trying to determine what I will need to buy for one and what I am looking for in an apartment to be able to successfully live there.  

However, the most exciting part for me is interacting with prospective and current students and faculty at each of the schools I applied to.  

It has been amazing interacting with so many amazing people that are just as passionate about helping college students as I am.  

When I originally started this process, I was nervous that I was not going to get into any of the schools that I applied to. But now, as the process of applying is ending, I am becoming more excited for my next steps.  

For those also moving on to their next steps, good luck. You will do great things; I know you will.  

Katja Benz is senior English major. She can be reached kkbenz@eiu.edu or 217-581-2812.