As a senior in college, I should be thinking about graduation and applying for jobs. But unfortunately, I will be spending another year (Super Senior!) in college to finish my degree. There are many students across the country who face the same problem that I do. With all of the credit hours required for gen eds, your major, minor (if you have one), and added endorsements.. it's pretty much impossible for you to graduate in 4 years.
For me, personally, I am working towards a degree in K-12 Special Education with a minor in Psychology and a Coaching Endorsement. With the Special Education major alone, the credit hours required of me equal 85 credit hours. With my added endorsement and minor, the total credit hours that I need to complete are 123. That is not including the General Studies courses that I'm required to take.
Each semester of my college career, I have taken 17-18 credit hours. I also have taken summer classes every summer since I've started college back in 2013. With taking that many credit hours and summer classes, I still am having to attend college 5 years before being able to graduate. As an Education major, there are a lot of practicums and extracurriculars you have to participate in to receive credit for your courses (not to mention an entire semester of student teaching). This adds an even heavier load to your plate.
What I'm saying is this: it's OKAY to go to college for longer than 4 years. It's not something to be embarrassed over. It's not something to be self-conscious about. Whether you don't want to overload yourself with more than 16 credit hours per semester, or you need to take a semester off for personal reasons, you are not alone. Students all across the country spend more than four years at college for many reasons. Whether it be changing your major, transferring schools, or taking a few semesters off. You can still finish college and receive a degree.
