The student media organization of California State University Northridge

Daily Sundial

The student media organization of California State University Northridge

Daily Sundial

The student media organization of California State University Northridge

Daily Sundial

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Pushing to graduate in 4 years is easier said than done

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(Jason Getz/Atlanta Journal-Constitution/MCT)

It is no question that college students are under stress.

Papers, exams, projects, midterms, finals and everything in between are just some of the reasons that cause stress. Not to mention the balance with extracurricular activities, work, having a social life and trying to get sleep at night.

It’s clear that being a college student is no walk in the park, especially when we are expected to graduate in four years.

The stress continues.

Yes, with everything students have to juggle, we are more stressed about finishing on time. Now don’t get me wrong, graduating in four years is doable.

However, for others it just isn’t enough time.

College should be about finding what you love and learning about it. Whether that takes four years or 10 years, it shouldn’t matter.

When students are put on this time limit, they are caught up with finishing on time rather than focusing on the learning part.

This is true for me.

I’m a fourth year college student, who has realized that my major is not for me. I may have realized this sooner if I focused more on my interests in school rather than getting out in four years.

Yes, graduating in four years or less is ideal and less money to pay. However, the pressure for this to be a reality is not practical. If students are rushed to get out, it diminishes the quality of their learning.

I’ve realized that for many students, including myself, focusing on graduating in four years sets students back from actually doing so.

“Yes, we have a huge completion problem, but we also have a problem that a lot of students graduated without learning what they need,” said Debra Humphreys, a spokesperson for the Association of the American Colleges and Universities. “[Colleges] are too focused on efficiency and not enough on quality.”

The problem is – students want out and they want out fast. This means doing anything they can to just get by in order to walk across a stage.

Impacted majors and hard to get classes adds more factors of why it is hard to graduate on time.

Students should realize that in the past it was easier to graduate in four years. Yet today it is still the reality for many students.

However, if it isn’t your reality, it should not be looked at as a bad thing.

“It took me seven years to graduate and I still changed my mind after wards,” said CSUN Alum, Evelina Rayas. “It doesn’t matter how long it takes, as long as you’re there for a purpose. I just wish I had learned that sooner.”

The average time it takes a student to graduate is six years, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

Why rush these precious years?

It will only benefit student to stay longer if you really want to figure out what your passion is, or isn’t. It works both ways.

Stop worrying about the timeline. As long as you get to the finish line it won’t matter if you’re the tortoise or the hare. In this case, being the tortoise doesn’t seem like a bad path to take.

– Isabel Rayas, 21, is a CSUN communication studies major.

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