After four long years, or longer, graduation day is finally on the horizon. For many, graduating college is the first big achievement that many students have made on their own. High school graduation was important at the time, but you generally have a larger support system to push them through high school. In college, you are on your own for the most part and have to keep yourself motivated. Besides, the law requires students to go to high school. College, however, is an endeavor that requires self-motivation and commitment.

Graduating from college is both a scary, but exciting time. It is a goal that has taken several years to reach and is finally over, but at the same time it is scary in that your whole world will be changing. You are moving into a world of work, bills and taxes. Prior to graduation though, there are several steps that should be taken to ensure everything is in place for you to be done with school once and for all:

1.Meet with Your Advisor. Meet with your advisor one last time to ensure that you have completed all of your degree requirements. This is generally done at the beginning of your last semester. At this time, they will help you to set up your final schedule and file your degree plan with the appropriate college in your school. There may have also been changes to your degree plan while you were in college and you’ll need to make sure you don’t have any additional requirements to fulfill before you can graduate.

2.Visit the Registrar. Your advisor should have been helping you ensure that all of your degree requirements have been met, but you should always check with the registrar’s office to ensure that your records and their records match.

3.Settle any Final Bills. Ensure that you have returned all of your library books; you don’t owe any parking tickets or any other fees to school. These lingering bills can be a real damper on your “graduation high” when you can’t get your transcript right away and sometimes colleges might not allow you to graduate until you’ve paid off any bills. At the same time, you also want to determine what you owe in student loans and begin setting up a payoff plan for those loans as soon as possible. You typically have a six month period before you’re required to begin paying, but you need to be prepared and if you can begin paying now, then that’s even better for your financial future.

4.Order your Invitations, Cap and Gown. This is always an exciting time when preparing for graduation. Most colleges will have you order invitations, cap and gown, and honor cords from the bookstore. You will probably have several design options for invitations. Be sure to order more than you need, as you’ll think of more people to invite and you want to invite everyone, even if you know they won’t be able to attend.

5.Prepare your Resume. Ideally, you should already have a resume prepared, but now is just as good a time. Prepare your resume and begin sending it to every job that you believe you are qualified for and will enjoy. However, at the same time, keep in mind that most people have to settle for a not-so-ideal career after college so they can begin making a living as soon as possible. This doesn’t mean you have to give up your search for the perfect career. You can begin job hunting up to a year before graduation. If you’re that great of a candidate, many employers will wait or make adjustments for you to begin while you are finishing college.

Following these simple steps will help you to through the graduation process easily. Remember, although the graduation process seems simple, it can be a stressful time so be prepared to manage job hunting, interviews, and final exams as you complete your college career.