Campus to corporate

Author: Saanvikha

  • The Post-Grad Limbo: Graduated…But Now What?

    The Post-Grad Limbo: Graduated…But Now What?

    You’ve literally completed everything off of your checklist. 

    Take the grad photos ✅ 

    Graduate college with a good GPA ✅ 

    Secure a full-time job ✅ 

    Sign the offer letter ✅ 

    Say bittersweet goodbyes to friends, family, and your collegetown ✅ 

    …but now you’re just sitting here waiting.

    We spend our whole lives looking to the future and planning our next step. Most of us have a 1-year, 5-year, or 10-year ideal plan of where we see ourselves and the goals we want to accomplish. During high school, we’re trained to focus on getting the best grades, doing all the extracurriculars, and crafting the perfect essays to get into our dream college. Then, we get to college and fall into the same routine of balancing our personal and academic lives to work towards the dream job or graduate school or fellowship. Nothing ever feels enough, and the cycle is never-ending. Even as we graduate and start our post-college jobs, we still are thinking about that next step, whether it be law school, business school, or what we want our careers to be.

    But, recently, I have been in this weird life gap that I like to call “The Post-Grad Limbo.” I did all the things I needed to do in college: got the grades, poured myself into organizations I cared about, and made lasting relationships. I was even lucky enough to get an offer from a fantastic company. I don’t know if it is my dream job, per say, but I am excited to start working and gain from the experience. However, ever since graduating college, I found myself at an uneasy standstill. I had a 3-month gap between school and work and simply didn’t know what to do with myself. I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting alone and with friends and changed my perspective on what this period of life could mean, and I think it could be helpful for anyone who finds themself in a similar phase of life.

    I’ve been told that I don’t know how to take a break, and I would probably accurately guess that 90% of you reading have been told the same thing. I used to love hearing that – surely it meant I was hard working, dedicated, and ambitious. But, I don’t think it’s a compliment anymore, and it just means I never gave myself permission to stop or take time for myself. For the past four years, there was always something lingering: an assignment, an application, a meeting, a looming exam. Even “breaks” were filled with summer internships and study abroad programs. Graduation forced me to take the downtime I’ve avoided, and it forced me to be, well, unproductive. Yes, I’ve been studying for the LSAT, but most of my day has been empty. The first month drove me crazy: I would work out in the morning, do a bit of LSAT prep, scroll aimlessly through TikTok, browse Netflix unsuccessfully, go on a walk, sleep, then repeat. Every day felt the same, and at first, it sucked. 

    It can also be hard to see everyone else moving forward and starting jobs. I often felt frustrated that I was behind or somehow not doing enough. All that to be said, I want to share some of the advice I’ve gotten recently on how to feel okay with the uncertainty and navigate the post-grad limbo.

    1. It’s all about the mindset
      1. If you keep telling yourself you’re behind or lacking, then, naturally, you’re going to feel that way. Even though it often feels like it, life is not a race and a finish line simply doesn’t exist. Some healthy competition is always good motivation, but it should not be your primary driver. At the end of the day, each of us is on our own paths that may intersect from time to time but not indefinitely. The more you keep measuring yourself up to your peers, the greater the frustration and anxiety will be. You are your biggest competition, and all you can do is strive to be a better version of yourself than you were a year ago, or even yesterday. Instead of telling yourself you’re being unproductive, change the definition of “productivity.” Reading for 30 minutes a day or prioritizing your physical health is still a version of being productive! I would argue that spending a reasonable amount of time on your phone or watching TV is also productive because it is exactly what your mind needs at the moment – a break. 
    2. Take the time to breath 
      1. As boring and uneasy as this transition in life can be, it’s essential. I found myself getting antsy during this three-month gap. I was itching to start work, worrying about law school applications (even though I’m not even applying for at least two years), and stressing about every aspect of life. I knew this was normal because whenever you have time on your hands, it’s so easy to get in your head about every little thing. You need to remind yourself that you will eventually get to the future. All you can do is focus on the present and appreciate this phase of your life. This little breather is yet another era of growth, which leads to my next point.
    3. Do something for yourself
      1. Yes, this could be the classic post-grad Europe trip done by most people on our social media feeds. I always support traveling and experiencing the world, but I also know that trips are expensive! You don’t always have to think big when you think about doing something for yourself. I’ll give you some examples of what Dawson and I, as well as some of our friends, have done since graduating college: cooking weekly recipes, visiting family, exploring new places (for Dawson, and me, it has been Atlanta), trying new fitness activities, painting as a hobby, and getting into podcasts to learn more about the world. There is so much out there to do and learn from, and this break is the perfect time to start exploring options because you have almost NO responsibilities. We spend a lot of time doing things for other people or as part of a bigger goal, but this is a great opportunity to just focus on yourself and your interests. So, sign up for that triathlon, buy a recipe book, go birdwatching, get into your arts and crafts era. Be just a little bit selfish.
    4. Don’t forget your support system
      1. This is a strange period of life because all of the friends you spent all of college with are going their separate ways, starting graduate school, going into the corporate world, or moving to new cities. Change is uncomfortable and uncertain, but it doesn’t mean you have to lose the relationships you spent years building. Instead of being cooped up in my room alone, I made an intentional effort to reach out and make plans with friends. We tried new coffee shops, had fancy meals, went on walks, window shopped, and had spontaneous adventures (including drinking a double shot espresso at 10 PM – which I would not recommend doing if you have to wake up at 4 AM the next morning…). If you are at home, like me, then this is the best time to reconnect and spend time with your parents and family! My favorite nights were watching movies with my parents even if all of us were asleep 30 minutes into it. Surrounding yourself with the people you love definitely helps relieve a lot of the anxiety and stress that accompanies the post-grad limbo.

    Getting through this period of life didn’t make the original checklist that was in the introduction, but maybe it should be. I think this pause before jumping into real adulting is so necessary, and I personally have learned so much about myself. This time is about grounding yourself, knowing that it is ok to take a break. Also, this period won’t last forever, and despite some of the negative emotions that come with it, it is completely normal. If you’re jumping into the corporate world, like both of us, then taking a break is a game-changer before you start working crazy hours (like Dawson), deal with supervisors, and navigate the unexpectedness of a “9-to-5”. I hope that some of you felt seen through this post and can relate with some of the emotions described here. 

    At the end of the day, I’m just so glad I don’t have to ever sit in a lecture hall learning about electrophilic substitutions or actin and myosin chains ever again!

    Missing the BCMB squad though
  • How Our Restaurant Adventures Started

    How Our Restaurant Adventures Started

    Saying we love trying food and restaurants would probably be the understatement of the century. At least once a week (usually more), you can find us trying a new restaurant and dropping upwards of $40 on a meal 🙁. Oftentimes, it is an excuse for us to hang out with friends or spend quality time with others. We have found that food is an experience rather than simply eating food, but, you may be wondering how our restaurant adventures even started, and it’s a little different for both of us. 

    For Saanvikha – I quite literally grew up watching Food Network – Giada, Chopped, The Pioneer Woman, Holiday Baking Championship – you name it, and I’ve probably watched it with my mom. I loved testing new recipes, and it honestly is a little scary that I knew words like caviar, pâté, paris-brest at the age of 7. However, I didn’t really have the interest or the freedom to try restaurants until we studied abroad in Cortona. 

    Dawson’s story is a little different – I grew up the pickiest eater you’d ever meet. Coming from a military background in rural Missouri, the closest restaurant we had to modern civilization was a McDonalds. Similarly, studying in Cortona, Italy expanded my horizons, exposing me to rabbit, duck, pasta types and sauces, and I became entranced. Moreover, I spent the summer in Washington D.C. and fell in love with the food scene, often preferring to eat out than warm up some microwavable chicken. 

    Now that you have a little look into the origin of this newfound passion, let’s dive into something wonderful that came out of it – the discovery of Beli! Subtle flex, but we have introduced the app to so many people and practically forced them to download it. So, to all of our friends that now use Beli, you’re welcome for getting you into it. And to Beli, please sponsor us 🙂. For the rest of you, follow us at @dawsontemplin + @ssaravanan.

    We’ve absolutely loved using Beli to track all the food we’ve eaten from literally across the globe. It’s so useful to look back on and see what you’ve eaten and liked in the past, but it also is incredible for recommendations. It gives you a recommendation score for restaurants, cafes, and more based on your taste and rankings in the past for categories of (1) restaurants, (2) bars, (3) bakeries, (4) coffee & tea, and (5) ice cream & dessert. It is also great to remember when you ate at a restaurant and allows you to bookmark a place you have been wanting to try, a wonderful feature for when attempting to decide where to eat. If you follow us on Beli, you know that we give our honest thoughts and opinions about each place, but some of these highlights on Beli don’t have the full story behind everything we have tried. A lot of you have been asking for more fun stories so we will jump right in. 

    The Chase for Fine Dining

    Starting off strong, let’s head to Paris. This was during one of our weekend trips while studying abroad at Oxford University, so as you can imagine, it was chaotic and planned last-minute. We had a lot of places on our list to try, but we didn’t really account for the fact that we would need reservations for most restaurants on the fancy-ish side in Paris. So, while on the Eurostar train to Paris (which we barely made it on as Dawson had to run back to the house to get his passport), Saanvikha somehow was able to get a reservation at La Renommée for that same night. The catch was that we had about 30 minutes from the time we got to our Airbnb to make it to the restaurant but it was an hour walk away. Instead of taking the metro like normal people would, we decided to quite literally RUN to make our reservation (which we made) with time to spare. Shoutout La Renommée for introducing us to the best fries in existence. 

    The four days that Dawson visited New York over the summer were PACKED. Another restaurant is featured in the next section, but we decided to try out Le Jardinier, a French restaurant. What made this so memorable was getting to talk to a sommelier about her experiences and various alcoholic and non-alcoholic champagnes and wines. This sparked Dawson’s own interest in wine culture but also taught us to ‘appreciate wine as a food,’ a phrase we’ve heard often since Italy.

    London is famously known for its Indian cuisine, and when we got to London, we knew we wanted to try it out. Well, maybe reserve three months in advance. With our squad that pre-traveled the UK, we decided to make a reservation at Gymkhana, a 2** Michelin restaurant for Diwali, despite not knowing our class schedule or whether any of us could make it. For both of us, it is still one of our favorite meals to date.

    Unexpected Discoveries

    These three stories are ones we will probably mention a few more times, so get pumped. First, we wanted to recount our rabbit soup at Osteria del Teatro. This rabbit soup, to put it bluntly, looked extremely unappetizing. However, we were recommended to just try it, and it turned out to be the best dish out of 5 for that night. Osteria del Teatro was one of the first dining restaurants that really allowed us to expand our horizons.

    Second, comes the pesto gnocchi at Nocello, a restaurant just south of central park in New York City. To this day, this pasta is both of our number one ranked dish on Beli. When I tell you this was life changing, it literally changed our lives. Saanvikha heard of this restaurant from a mentor of hers, and we decided this restaurant out of a list of three when Dawson was in NYC the summer of 2024. Although it also looked like vomit, to put it lightly, it was a wonderfully unexpected discovery that has been a fun story to tell our friends about.

    Third, you never know what to expect when you enter a new city. While in Oxford, we took a scenic rail from Tirano, Italy to Chur, Switzerland on the way to Geneva. While waiting for the four hour train, we stopped at Leti, a local pizzeria. It was incredible pizza, it was amazing. The entire pepperoni and margherita pizzas were devoured on the trains, and it was a wonderful beginning to our scenic ride.

    Well, there you have it. We cannot share too many meals or restaurants or else you wouldn’t read anymore, and well, we still need to save stories to write about in the future. But, hope you enjoyed and possibly feel inspired to use Beli and see food as an experience and art rather than just something to consume. Be on the lookout for more food flicks to come!