Not Graduating "On-Time"? Don't Worry | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

Not Graduating "On-Time"? Don't Worry

The end goal is to get a degree and if is takes a little bit longer. Who cares.

29
Not Graduating "On-Time"? Don't Worry

Getting that acceptance letter from your dream college was one of the best days of every college student's life. The pride coming from our loved ones. The excitement poring throughout your whole body because you finally get to start your own life away from your parents and family. Thinking of the major you are going to be pursing that leads to your dream job/career. All of the new friends you are about to make. The organizations to join. It's a whole new chapter in your life.

When you go to your Orientation and meet the Orientation Leaders (S/O to my OL Team and fellow OLs out there) and get to actually meet students who are in the majors and hearing their stories and advice when it comes to the next four years. Meeting the advisors whose soul-purse is to help you with getting in to your major and another person who is in your corner. Then finally, getting your Fall classes and then it hits you... YOU ARE A COLLEGE STUDENT.

The anticipation for Freshman Move-In comes into play and rooming with your roommate or roommates sets in. Then, it happens. Move-In Day. So many feelings and emotions running through you that you don't know what to do with them all. The excitement, fear, happiness, nervousness, etc. You unpack into the room that will be yours for the next year and see that this is it. No more parents. No more high school. You're friends from home aren't there with you. Everything now rest on your shoulders. You are officially on your own. You turn to your parents, especially mom, with a "doe-like" look and the tears start to form. The goodbye is one of the hardest, or hardest, you have ever done. The first night is the roughest but will get easier and easier to when it becomes the norm not to be around them all the time.

Soon, classes start and getting involved in the organizations that your university offers. Everything is getting busy real quick. From classes to organizations to social life. Before you know it, life throws you a curveball. One you were never prepared for. Everything changes: world views, personal relationships, personality, and even majors. What you thought you were going to be now has done a 360 and a new dream is in sight.

After how many years you put in, mine was a year and half, you choose a different course and start down that road. Instead of four years of college, its now looking like more than that and that is perfectly okay.

Now-a-days, college students are graduating at their own rate whether it being four years or five and half. If you aren't graduating "on-time", you aren't alone. I'm in that boat with you. I came into college thinking one career path but life happened and now I'm pursing a different. Changed my major and added a minor as a Junior. It's life. You change. Don't worry about what other people are thinking and saying about it. It's YOUR life.

I have talked to non-traditional students, and they all say the same thing: "Do everything you want to while in college because once you get out and life starts, you wish that you did. Take your time. Enjoy every minute of it." and the list goes on.

College is all about finding the person you want to become and if it takes a little bit longer oh well. Go at your pace because the end game is to graduate and either enter the workforce or go onto Graduate Schools, and you want to do and be the best you can be.

Remember on thing: you aren't alone. There are other students who aren't graduating "on-time". Find yourself. Become better. Get involved. Make friendships and relationships. Enjoy the perks of being in college (at your own risk and safely). But most importantly, love and embrace the person you are becoming. That is the person you are meant to be.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Entertainment

Most Epic Aurora Borealis Photos: October 2024

As if May wasn't enough, a truly spectacular Northern Lights show lit up the sky on Oct. 10, 2024

4161
stunning aurora borealis display over a forest of trees and lake
StableDiffusion

From sea to shining sea, the United States was uniquely positioned for an incredible Aurora Borealis display on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, going into Friday, Oct. 11.

It was the second time this year after an historic geomagnetic storm in May 2024. Those Northern Lights were visible in Europe and North America, just like this latest rendition.

Keep Reading...Show less
 silhouette of a woman on the beach at sunrise
StableDiffusion

Content warning: This article contains descriptions of suicide/suicidal thoughts.

When you are feeling down, please know that there are many reasons to keep living.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

Power of Love Letters

I don't think I say it enough...

450451
Illistrated image of a letter with 2 red hearts
StableDiffusion

To My Loving Boyfriend,

  • Thank you for all that you do for me
  • Thank you for working through disagreements with me
  • Thank you for always supporting me
  • I appreciate you more than words can express
  • You have helped me grow and become a better person
  • I can't wait to see where life takes us next
  • I promise to cherish every moment with you
  • Thank you for being my best friend and confidante
  • I love you and everything you do

To start off, here's something I don't say nearly enough: thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You do so much for me that I can't even put into words how much I appreciate everything you do - and have done - for me over the course of our relationship so far. While every couple has their fair share of tiffs and disagreements, thank you for getting through all of them with me and making us a better couple at the other end. With any argument, we don't just throw in the towel and say we're done, but we work towards a solution that puts us in a greater place each day. Thank you for always working with me and never giving up on us.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

11 Signs You Grew Up In Hauppauge, NY

Because no one ever really leaves.

22214
Map of Hauppauge, New York
Google

Ah, yes, good old Hauppauge. We are that town in the dead center of Long Island that barely anyone knows how to pronounce unless they're from the town itself or live in a nearby area. Hauppauge is home to people of all kinds. We always have new families joining the community but honestly, the majority of the town is filled with people who never leave (high school alumni) and elders who have raised their kids here. Around the town, there are some just some landmarks and places that only the people of Hauppauge will ever understand the importance or even the annoyance of.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Moana's Top 10 Life Tips

"Moana" is filled with life lessons that involve far more than finding true love as many other Disney movies do.

45128
Animated image of a woman with long dark hair and tattoos
StableDiffusion

1. It's easy to be fooled by shiny things.

Digital image of shiny gemstones in cased in gold. shiny things StableDiffusion

Tamatoa created a liar filled with shiny things simply for the purpose of tricking fish to enter and become his food. He too experiences a lesson in how easy it is to be tricked by shiny things when Moana distracts him by covering herself in glowing algae so Maui can grab his hook.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments