It’s that lovely time of year again. The sun is shining, the rain is sporadic and the fish-trees are beginning to stink up west campus. However, spring patterns are not the only seasonal event I’m referencing — instead I a m thinking of the never-ending internship and job interviews plaguing our calendars. 

As a senior, I’m incredibly aware of the time bomb ticking down on my final days in the safe haven of our university. Once that clock runs out, I’ll be let loose to the real world and cut loose of the financial stability so generously provided by my parents.

I have spent the past few months agonizing over finding a job by applying and interviewing ad nauseam. Whether students are seniors searching for full-time careers or underclassmen seeking internships, this process is unavoidable. 

However, unless you’re a child prodigy, you’re prone to encounter a few rejections along the way. You can sit around and blame it on the economy and the job market that we are unfortunately susceptible to or you can create new tactics to deal with these lovely denials. 

Like with most types of rejection we face, whether in the form of test grades, jobs or relationships, it’s important to know that you have a support system around to cheer you up when receiving the disappointing news. 

Along with a support system, you need to seek the comfort foods you tend to turn to when you’re feeling blue. Whether that means clearing out Harris Teeter’s entire ice cream collection or consuming your weight in Bojangles, eating your feelings away is almost inevitable. 

But while you’re stressed over whether or not you’re going to find a job, try not to add onto your issues by solely eating away your anxiety. Take advantage of the nice weather and get a little exercise. Fresh air could be the secret to happiness and we wouldn’t even know it because we spend so much time cooped up inside. Head over to the Rose Garden or the Arboretum with a good book and catchy tunes to enjoy the good old outdoors.

Try to take advantage of each and every opportunity that comes your way. Even if an interview did not go the way that you would have wanted it to go, you can still benefit from the experience. You can use it as a practice round for interviews you might be more interested in by remembering the types of questions that you’ve been asked, because in my experience, they will never disappear. You can also use these times as opportunities to meet with professors for counsel and advice about how to better prepare and position yourself competitively in future interviews.

Therefore, there is no need to get too discouraged. After all, everyone is in the same shoes you’re in. Almost everyone is trying to find a productive and lucrative way to spend his or her summer or time post-grad. Just try not to let the stress and negativity of it get the better of you.