After College Transition

Thrive After College / By Erica Young Reitz

Get the proven resources you need
for equipping students to thrive after college.

The first six months after graduation are critical in the transition out of college.
We are passionate about helping young people get what they need to thrive. 

Check Out the New Curriculum

Give Students the Tools They Need to Flourish

The After College Experience Curriculum

Grounded in years of research, experience, and anecdotal evidence, The After College Experience curriculum contains seven guided modules for facilitators who want to lead current students (or recent graduates) through an interactive learning experience that will equip participants with both the perspective and practical tools for navigating their next steps.

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The After College Book

The After College Experience curriculum is based on the book After College: Navigating Transitions, Relationships and Faith (IVP). Written for students and young alumni, After College covers the most important topics post-graduates face. The book offers compelling stories, practical help, and real hope for those in transition. Each chapter concludes with discussion questions and scriptures for further study, making it an ideal resource for small group book studies or one-on-one discipleship meetings.

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Speaking, Training, and Coaching

Looking to inspire a room of students or those who work with them?

Erica brings 20+ years of experience working with college students, and she has helped dozens of organizational leaders better equip students for life after college. From speaking engagements to training sessions to one-on-one coaching, Erica wants to help you, your team, and your students. Now is the time to get the proven tools you need to position students for a life of thriving beyond their university years!

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Welcome. I’m Erica Young Reitz, and I love helping students and alumni thrive after college.

I bring 20+ years of experience working with college students, and I’ve helped dozens of organizational leaders across the nation successfully equip graduating students who are now thriving after college and eagerly giving back.

For over a dozen years, I—along with a team of co-laborers—have guided college seniors through a program called Senior EXIT. We’ve helped seniors “pack their bags” with the tools and perspective they need to navigate the changes, challenges and choices ahead – because there are lots of them!

My passion led me to write, After College: Navigating Transitions, Relationship and Faith (InterVarsity Press). After College has been called a “one-stop resource” for seniors and recent alumni who want to know what to expect from the transition out of college and how to thrive in all areas of life beyond graduation.

There are few things that encourage me more than knowing how After College or its companion curriculum are making a difference in the lives of students or recent graduates. I also love hearing about initiatives you’re working on to help prepare students for this crucial transition and to thrive within it. Let me know how I can help you get a new project started or take your current efforts to the next level!

It’s always a privilege and joy to speak to audiences of students and twenty-somethings as well as with practitioners who work with them (student affairs professionals, church leaders, college ministers and others). This work matters.

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Why Equipping Students for Life After College Matters

1
students at table
What happens after the college years is a measure of our effectiveness during the college years.
As old saying goes, “the proof is in pudding;” if we want to know if a recipe works, the test is the eating of it. Often, we look for “proof” of the effectiveness of our work in certain metrics related to growth and change in undergraduate students (faith commitments, event attendance, number of student leaders, and so on). While these are important measures, one of best ways to know if our “recipe” works is to look to the lives of our alumni. If our goal is to raise up students who pursue life-wide, life-long faithfulness, then our graduates gives us a gauge on our goals. If students don’t go on to transform the world – through Jesus’ power alone, of course – we’ve missed our mission!
2
students at table
Graduates will more likely engage in work, thrive in life, and emotionally attach to their alma mater…
… if they feel their college experience prepared them well for life beyond it. According to the Gallup-Purdue Index Report 2014, “Great Jobs, Great Lives,” post-college thriving exponentially increases when students feel supported and equipped. When we help students approach the transition after college and give them tools to faithfully navigate it, it’s good for them as well as for our institutions and organizations. We want our students’ last impression of their time with us to be their best. Serving and supporting students during their last lap of college allows us to grow our students into engaged alumni who thrive in life and eagerly give back.
3
students at table
It’s timely, relevant, and necessary if we want to position ourselves well in this cultural moment.
Incoming students – and their parents – are no longer looking for a great college experience for themselves/their children. They want to know how the college experience will prepare them for what comes after it. Also, employers expect more than ever. They want recent graduates to be ready for both job and life. We have an opportunity to step into this current moment and offer something through our institutions and organizations that will not only attract students and parents but also elevate our campuses and catch the eyes of prospective employers.
4
students at table
We are ethically and morally responsible to equip our students for what comes next.
If students are coming through the doors of our institutions or organizations, we have a responsibility to send them out well. Consultant and cultural impact expert John Seel writes, “If we care about the coming generation, we need to mentor and hold their hands through this increasingly uncertain transition [out of college]…For the kingdom’s sake, we can and must do better.” Seel points out that we often pour resources into onboarding first-year students but offer very little support to help students thrive beyond college. We are responsible to do more.
5
students at table
It’s fun, and it works!
There are few greater joys than walking alongside students in this transition. What an honor and privilege to be in the lives of students at such a unique part of their journey. We treasure the “ah-ha” moments during the undergraduate years when students “get” something for the first time. Even more delightful are the comments from recent graduates who are thriving because someone cared enough during the college years to offer them the perspective and practical tools to do so. This work matters.

Free Resources

Why College? (A Don’t-Miss Resource to Add to Your Bag)

Why College? (A Don’t-Miss Resource to Add to Your Bag)

In Learning to Love, Alex Sosler provides a rich vision of college by rooting education in love and affection. Sosler bridges the gap between the Christian faith and academic learning by encouraging students to love deeply and widely. College, first and foremost, is about becoming a certain type of person–one full of charity, wonder, and wisdom…. Read More →

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