Living accommodations and managing finances are hardships some TCU alumni endured after their transition from college life to adulthood.

Nicoletta Bradley, who graduated from TCU in 2015, said she did not realize how much of a time commitment it took to be in the working world.

“I miss the flexibility and little pockets of free time I had while attending TCU,” she said. “When you’re in the workforce, you suddenly can’t skip anything because you have commitments.”

TCU alumna and former TCU cheerleader Taylor Freetage said the hardest part about becoming a “real adult” was the small, daunting things, such as keeping her house clean.

Bradley said being able to live with someone she knew after graduation helped her in her transition from college.

“There is a lot of unknown when becoming a real adult, so being able to come home to something that is familiar can really help you not feel so overwhelmed,” said Bradley.

Peyton Mabry graduated in 2018 and is now working on managing her personal brand.  Despite the perks that come with living alone, she said having to shoulder all the responsibility can be a nuisance.

“Being adult involves thinking about long-term finances instead of just focusing on short-term spending like I did while attending TCU,” said Mabry. “I have had to have a much more disciplined approach to budgeting and savings since graduating.”

Budgeting can seem daunting, especially when handling the other tasks of being an adult.

TCU alumna Christen Lockett said her parents helped her budget her finances by writing a one-year plan based off her income.

She said this was useful during her transition into working for a brand marketing agency and managing her own public relations firm, Lockett-Up PR.

TCU alumna Mackenzie Friedman said that she initially struggled not having days off like she did when she was enrolled in college.

“In college, there are so many small goals to work toward,” said Friedman. “I’ve had to learn how to create my own endpoints, set my own goals and celebrate the little things along the way to avoid getting stuck in a rut.”

Since graduating, Friedman said she has really learned the value of a dollar. She was able to turn her love for cycling into a part-time job at ZYN22 to help supplement her main income as the Digital Content Manager for the Dallas Wings of the WNBA.

Despite their struggles in the real world, all of the graduates expressed gratitude for their time at TCU and for what they learned there.