College is different for everyone. Some people jump right in after high school, never change their major, and leave with a degree in four years. Some people don’t. Some people take a gap year, some people go to community or county colleges, some people transfer to four-year institutions, some people don’t. Some people take three years to graduate, some people take six, and some people don’t go to college. There is nothing wrong with any of these situations, and no one has any right to judge another person’s story.

Plenty of people in the United States choose community and county colleges after high school. Some make this choice so they can figure out themselves and what they might want to pursue. Others make this choice for financial reasons. Some make this choice because of their academic capabilities. Others make this choice for personal reasons. No matter what the reason, people should not be judged for attending a community or county college at any time in their educational careers. Isn’t it enough that they are continuing their education?

Plenty of college students change their major. If I had to estimate how many college students change their major at least once through their college experience, I would say it’s likely more than half. I think this is because of the pressure from society which pushes students into college even if they aren’t ready or don’t know exactly what path to take—but that’s a different article. Frequently, changing your major means meeting new requirements, and meeting new requirements could mean staying in college a few semesters—or years—longer. So? If that’s your journey, take it; no one should judge you for needing “extra time” to get ready to do what you want to do.

Plenty of students transfer schools for a variety of reasons, and this often means spending a few extra semesters in their new school. But there’s no reason for these students to feel bad about spending “extra time” in college. Students transfer for all different reasons, and as an outsider, you cannot assume you know the reason. Transferring is difficult enough without other people making judgments about your reasons for transferring or assumptions about your academic abilities. Transfer students are taking the same kind of journey you are.

I can think of a number of reasons that people spend more than four years in college, and they are all perfectly valid. Financial reasons, personal reasons, mental health reasons, disabilities, anxiety, and more. Whatever the reason might be, my response is the same: college is not a race but an experience. There is no law that says everyone has to graduate from college in four years. Just because this is typically the case does not mean that it will be the case for everyone, nor should it be the expectation. Yes, I will graduate in four years, and so will (and have) most of my friends. But that doesn’t mean I’m “winning the race” or anything like that. I’m one of the lucky ones; I knew what I wanted to be when I was in fourth grade. My major was the easy part, and as I looked into colleges, I found that choosing one for me was easy, too. Not everyone is that fortunate, and I acknowledge the privilege I have in this. But I don’t judge anyone who takes more than four years to graduate. I congratulate everyone who graduates from college, regardless of how long it takes them.

It is an accomplishment to graduate from any college at any time regardless of age, and we should all be proud of each other’s accomplishments. In a society of constant competition, it is easy to lose the meaning of education and the importance of self-worth. But we must remember that experiences are worth more than competitions, and college is an experience of varying durations for each and every person who attends.