Over the last three years, I have been working tirelessly to ensure that I will graduate after my fourth year, as most students are expected to do.
However, this changed when I read my audit and realized that two classes I struggled through were being excluded from my credits. Suddenly, I faced a road block. By rushing through my degree and not taking a minute to breathe, I was more or less forced into doing a fifth year.
Going into my fourth year, I felt equally as stressed, anxious, and unsure as I have over the past three years. There are so many obstacles that I never realized existed as I try to graduate. Juggling five classes a semester, a part-time job, and a social life, I became so busy that I had begun to feel guilty when I would relax in my spare time. With all this built-up stress, my perspective on my prolonged undergrad degree has begun to change.
During my time at Carleton, I have found that there has been a strong sense of negativity towards taking extra time to complete an undergraduate degree. I was at first reluctant to accept my path, with speculations that a fifth year would affect my chances of being accepted into a post-grad program, my parents saying that taking an extra year would be a waste of money, and a general feeling that doing so would mean I am less smart.
But now, I think that doing a fifth year is a blessing in disguise. Instead of taking a course that I cannot stand just to stay on track, I have the option of dropping it and taking something more enjoyable next semester. I also have time to take four classes, and hopefully this means I will also have time to relax without blaming myself for not studying. While I still stress about my future, knowing that I have an extra year to figure things out helps me sleep at night.
In my opinion, there is no shame in doing a fifth year. For many students who work to put themselves through university, taking a fifth year is the best option in order to focus on academics, while also being active in the school community. Being in our early twenties should be fun, adventurous, and full of new experiences—many of which can be learned while being a student. Whether it is due to a program switch, dropping classes, taking a lower course load, or whatever it may be, taking that extra time to complete a degree should not be looked down on.
At the end of the day, I am not ready to be out of school and settle into my permanent life. I am thrilled that I get an extra year to binge-watch Netflix, cram for tests, and have pizza as my major food group. I am in no rush to settle down and lock down my job for life. I want to keep taking cool classes, exploring my options, and reducing my stress.
So congratulations to all of my peers who will be graduating on (expected) time, but I can’t say I’m jealous. For those who will end up taking extra time, it’s not so bad, trust me.
