Before I went to college I had so many thoughts and ideas of what it would be like. I thought that it would be four easy years that would go by quickly at the one school that I fell in love with. Boy was I wrong. After my freshman year I ended up transferring because it was the best thing to do for me and my happiness. I still was in love with my original college choice but it wasn't what I thought it would be. So I started out at my new college where I had already known so many people and had friends that went there and I thought that everything would still be perfect and I couldn't wait to make memories and graduate with my best friends. And again, I was wrong. Due to the previous college that I attended having different requirements when it came to classes and changing my major, I was now being told that instead of graduating on time, I would have to attend college for an extra year as a fifth year senior.

I was absolutely devastated by this news. My entire life I was always told that you only needed to attend four years of college and if you attended more then something was wrong with you. I didn't want to tell anyone this news because I was embarrassed by it. Was something wrong with me? Was I not smart enough to finish in four years? That seemed like the only explanation to me. But after taking it all in the last few years I've come to accept it and be at peace with being a fifth year senior. I think that in our society today, they put so much pressure on kids to finish in four years that many people who have to attend an extra year have the same thoughts as I did. That something was wrong with them or that they were not smart enough and that really bothers me. Some people will even stick with a major that they don't love in order to graduate on time.

Why does it matter how many years it takes you to finish college? What we should be focusing on is the fact that at least people are finishing college and working toward a career. Whether it takes you four or five years to finish college you should be proud of yourself. Never feel ashamed about taking longer to finish. You'll find that it's better in the long run.

As I began my fifth year of college this last week I can't help but reflect on the last few years since I found out the news that I would have to attend an extra year. I definitely did not have the traditional college experience. I lived off campus every year except my freshman year which made it harder for me to make more connections with people and get certain experiences. If I had graduated on time, everything would have felt really rushed and I feel like I would have missed out on a lot of things. I also would have had to take the max amount of credits each semester on top of working and cheerleading which would have been stressful and my grades would have suffered. So in the end I think that having to attend an extra year was a blessing. I needed the extra experiences and education before heading out into the real world.

So my advice to the people who are in the same position I am in would be to not stress out over the extra year and think of it more as an extra year for experiences. An extra year to make new friendships. An extra year to find yourself. Don't ever think badly of yourself and never think that something is wrong with you or that you are not smart enough. No one can tell you how long it's supposed to take for you to finish school. Do not stress yourself out and try to take too many classes or decide to stick with a major you hate just to finish in four years. Do what is best for you and your health and happiness and in the end it will be the best thing for you.