While I am only a sophomore in college, I am already seeing people I grew up with that are taking paths that are completely different from my own. Some of my classmates are now married. Some have kids. Some joined the workforce immediately. And many, like me, took the "expected" path of going to college.

I am so fortunate in my ability and the opportunity to attend a university; I absolutely love my school and learning about something that I am beyond interested in. But it's easy to forget that college is not for everyone or if you do attend, that it won't take just four years for everyone.

For some that start school undeclared and finish their gen-eds before deciding what one thing they want to focus on and make a career out of, this could delay their ability to graduate "on time." Or, the undeclared student that goes into a major that was forced upon her, only to decide after a semester of credits that was supposed to go towards nursing, was useless because she does not want to be a nurse.

I don't think it's completely fair for there to be such a pressure on students that need to take a semester off due to financial circumstances; students need to take a semester off sometimes in order to get their situation figured out. Taking a semester off may potentially set them back from their expected graduation date, and that's completely okay.

We need to stop pressuring people with our own expectations of them. It's okay for them to take longer if that's what they're comfortable with. Maybe taking 12 credit hours is too much to handle while also juggling a job, and that's okay. Maybe you're taking 16 credit hours and don't have a job, and that's okay too.

I know for certain that my track of wanting to become a therapist is supposed to take four years to get my Bachelor's and then an additional two in order to obtain my Master's. Maybe I'll graduate in 2021 with my Master's (thanks AICE) or maybe I won't because I need to take a semester off to focus on my mental health.

Our paths are all different. It's beautiful to see my former classmates start their own families and maybe that's the dream. Maybe some will go back to school and that's cool too.

We really ought to stop putting people down for their life decisions because, in the end, it's not our own lives. We only really have the right to decide what's best for ourselves; we need to stop making judgment calls on others' lives.

My life might end up extremely different from my sister's in ten years, and I am excited to see how each of our lives end up then. For now, though, we'll continue taking our time on our own paths.