The first day of freshman year all the way to your senior year can go by so fast, and you can easily get wrapped up in the college lifestyle, from the many friends you make along the way, to the nights out at the bars, to cramming for finals, to those late nights of cooking ramen at 2 a.m. One of the things people look forward to and stress about is graduation. Not only is it a day full of celebration and success, but it’s also a scary day because you’re officially out on your own in the real world. You can argue that people say that about high school graduation, but college graduation is when you’re officially out on your own and have to find a job tailored to your degree.

Everyone says, “College is the best four years of your life.” But what happens when you don't spend the full four? Maybe you’re graduating a semester early or a year early? I graduated high school in 2014. When I was all set and registered for college, I was originally put in with the Class of 2018. It made sense for me to be put there because I was technically a freshman.

However, I also came in with a lot of credits. I took a lot of college and AP classes in high school to knock off some pre-requisites, and almost every single one of those credits transferred. I had a C in one of those classes, and it still transferred. When I looked on the program that checks my degree progress, it said I was registered as a first semester sophomore. I thought it was weird that I was already taking classes for my major, while my friends from orientation were taking basic courses.

A lot of my friends who took the same college and AP classes I took in high school were surprised that all of my credits transferred. I had friends that went to big name private schools who had very little or none of their credits transfer, but they were getting the full-fledged four years. I’m not. I’m graduating in three years.

A disadvantage is you have less time to build up your professional life. That includes creating resumes and cover letters, getting involved in clubs and organizations, and so much more. The typical college student who’s graduating in four years wouldn’t really worry about this stuff until the spring of their sophomore year at the earliest, but the college student that’s graduating a semester or a year early has no time to mess around.

Another disadvantage to graduating early is the fear of being out in the real world. Although it’s a scary thought to truly be out on your own once you graduate, it’s going to be even scarier if you’re graduating early. You might believe that you haven’t learned everything yet about what you want to do. In fact, you may have regrets about the degree you decided to get or the career path you’ve decided to follow. It’s a scary thought to go out to the real world so quickly and not knowing what to expect. Some people can’t hack being out there alone, especially when you think you haven’t learned or done enough at college.

My advisor asked me a question a few months ago that really struck a chord with me: if there was ever a time to take a few months off to see the world or mess around, wouldn’t it be right after college? College and the years around it are meant for experimentation, for growth, for messing up and figuring out how to fix it. I played by the rules, sure, and I always seemed to have things figured out. But is following the rules and rushing worth it when you miss out on experiences that could have shaped your future or, heck, just been fun? I am not so sure.