Society is an opinionated, judgemental older sibling. It does not forget to remind us who we should be, what we should be doing, and especially what is forbidden. Society tells us how we should dress, who we should associate with, how we should act in situations, and what we should care about, among other things.
The pressure to conform to society has molded most of us into the individuals we are today: university or college students attempting to graduate in four-years time. The standards society has created for students do not necessarily align with all lifestyles that exist. Universities and colleges unknowingly contribute to the time-crunching pressure for students by creating step-by-step guidelines for how to graduate in four years. Advisors use these guidelines to, well, guide their students throughout their academic career. The truth is, you do not need to graduate in four years.
Pursuing a higher educational degree should be less about counting down the days until you receive your diploma and more focused on the actual journey there. We are all so focused on the certificate we receive that we often forget that the true reward is the lessons we have learned along the way. Each individual class we attend throughout the week is one tiny sliver of the diploma we will one day hold in our hands.
So, why is it okay to not graduate in four years? The answer is simple: life does not follow a guideline. Many individuals will follow the routine of graduating in four years because it aligns with their lifestyle, but many individuals will also go an extra semester, an extra year, or maybe even take a year off and then return. All that truly matters is that you attend college or university at a pace that is comfortable and works with your personality and schedule; do not feel pressured to stress yourself out by cramming 8 classes in one semester in order to graduate. With less classes you are more likely to focus and dedicate your time into truly understanding the material while cramming your schedule will do nothing but the opposite.
The goal is to make it to the finish line without being exhausted so that you can keep moving forward at a steady pace.