Earlier this semester, President Barry Mills offered seniors  a new four-part series to help prepare seniors for some of the logistics of life after college.

In the first session, Mills spoke about what to expect at one’s first job after graduating. Among other topics, he braced students for discovering that in reality, office environments were likely to be quite different from their fantasies. “What do you want out of your job?” he asked, before listing typical student responses: “experience, fulfillment, mentorship.” But employers? “They are hiring you to do the job,” he said, explaining that they won’t have much time to nurture young workers or give them immediate feedback. Mills also advised students to be pleasant coworkers, to go in early and stay late at the office, and to be the most prepared person in the room. “What do you think is among the most important things in your tool box? Your reputation,” he said.

The next session, offered by Rya Conrad-Bradshow of The Fullbridge Program, tackled personal finances and budgeting — those important next steps after landing one’s first job. She counseled students on what percentage of their income they should spend on housing, how to manage their credit cards and credit scores, how to stay within their budgets and other practical money tips.

Matt Rubins, who also works with Fulbridge, ran the third session. He spoke about the ways graduates could save and invest their money and grow their assets, making a point to stress the importance of starting to save for retirement early.

The final session featured five young alumni who returned to campus to speak about the trials and tribulations of finding housing in four urban markets: San Francisco, New York, Washington D.C. and Boston.