I don't know about you, but I absolutely hate the stigma associated with graduating college "late." If you don't graduate in four years, you get an overwhelming feeling that you're a failure and that you need to finish as soon as possible. Yes, that might seem a bit dramatic but some people feel this is true. I know this because I was supposed to walk with my peers at graduation this month, but I didn’t. I still have another year left of school, and I struggled a lot with it; but you want to know what?

IT. IS. OKAY.

I will still get a job and I will still be successful. My graduation date does not affect that. Same goes for those struggling with this as well. If you have a goal, what did it matter how long it takes to achieve it? There are a lot of factors that go into graduating later than expected.

One factor could be that you're actually paying for everything on your own and have to work a job or jobs to get through, unlike some students today.

Another could be that you just don't exactly know what you want to do with your life, and changing your major a million times a day makes it so you have to take a bunch of new classes.

Or like me, you transferred from another school and your new school refuses to accept most of your previous credits.

But honestly... WHO CARES.

You need to be able to obtain your degree at your own pace without others making you feel like you're behind. You aren't behind, you're going at your own pace. I thought I knew what I wanted to do my entire life until everything changed a year ago. As long as you get to the finish line, and you're doing what you love, that's all that should matter; not how long it took to get there. Keep your head up. The hassle is worth it for that tassel!