By: Ally Romanes

A person can make all types of plans for their perfect college experience, but sometimes things turn out differently than you planned, life’s funny like that. One plan most students enter college with is the idea that you’ll finish your degree in four years. For a lot of people, this is totally doable. However, some students take longer. It’s actually very common to take a fifth year to finish your schooling. 

As a fifth-year senior or a super senior as we are often called, I just wanted to take a moment to say, it’s okay to be a super senior! 

When I realized I needed to stay a fifth year to finish my degree, I felt a little upset and embarrassed. A lot of people are ashamed of taking a bit longer to finish school. There’s almost a stigma to it, like taking an extra year means you’re not as intelligent or didn’t take school seriously or just didn’t plan well. But I was wrong. My personal experience shows having extra time in college can actually be a positive thing. It gives you more time to prepare for the real world and to figure out plans for after you graduate. 

For me personally, this extra year has been a true blessing. It’s allowed me to figure out who I am as a person and what I want to do with my life. It also allowed me an opportunity to work in the marketing office helping with social media and various marketing tasks, which is great since that’s what my degree is in. I’m not sure I would have had this opportunity had I not been an older student, as fifth-year seniors tend to be more mature and given more responsibilities. (My boss told me to say that last part, I swear I’m not bragging!)

There’s a perk too. Student discounts are a fantastic way to save some money and I’m definitely not sad about still getting them!

So whether you’re on track to finish in four or you end up sticking around a little longer, just know, it’s ok! Everyone’s journey looks a little different. It doesn’t matter how long it takes as long as you work hard for your goals.