College, much similar to what I was told about high school, is "the best 4 years of your life". But what happens when they're not the best? More importantly, what if the typical 4-year experience for everyone else is 3.5, or 3 for others? Those veterans of AP classes know the feeling: graduating college early. Whether it's a product of AP credit, or just sheer luck, graduating early is a huge accomplishment. At the same time, it has become somewhat taboo and looked down upon. Here are 11 backhanded comments the overachieving early bird graduates can relate to.
1. “Woooooow…”
You know what I'm talking about. That unenthused, judgmental, usually jealous eye roll, accompanied by a half-assed congratulatory "wow." Thanks, pal. I'll send you an invite to the grad party.
2. “How did you do that?”
Working really hard. Really, really hard. There is no magic formula.
3. “So you’ll be going straight into graduate school after, right?”
Wrong, I'll be saving money and taking a much needed break after I get my Bachelor's degree. I'm not invincible.
4. “What are you doing after graduation?”
Probably panicking, but that won't suffice as an acceptable answer…so, as many college graduates do, I will be looking for a job. And minding my own business.
5. “Won’t you be missing out?”
On what, exactly? This isn't high school. I'm not missing my Senior Prom. I'm actually paying to be here, so the longer I stay, the more debt I accumulate. I'd like to get out ASAP.
6. “Lucky. I’m here for 5 years.”
Okay, and this is not a competition. You're taking an extra year because you double majored with three minors? Awesome! More power to you. We are all on this crazy ride called college, so there's no point in judging anyone. Never once did I scoff or eye roll at your 5 year plan, so don't scoff or eye roll at mine.
7. “Must be nice.”
Uh…yeah. I guess it is. It's not as if the degree magically ended up in my hands, though. If your idea of nice is taking over 17 credit hours a semester and summer classes every summer, then yes, it most certainly is a nice payoff for some hard work.
8. "You're crazy."
I know. Trust me, I know. I bet my academic advisor is saying the exact same thing.
9. "Good for you!"
Now, this one goes one of two ways. They are either genuinely happy for you, or just simply don't know what else to say. Either way, thank you!
10. "I could never do that."
Never say never! I thought the same thing. My time in college has felt endless for the past couple semesters. You are often capable of much more than you think.
11. "Congratulations!"
My personal favorite. The "appropriate" response. A simple congratulations will not be misconstrued (most likely). Early grads are graduates just like everyone else, and deserve that congrats just as much, if not more.
In conclusion, please keep all backhanded comments to yourself. Wholesome and encouraging compliments are always accepted, however. College is a different journey for everyone. Some fly right through it, some take their time. That's the beauty of higher education. And, guess what? At the end of the day, we're all going to be holding a degree in our hands. Yay!
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