Graduating early may sound great, amazing even, but as someone who is graduating two years earlier, it can be a struggle.
Not Experiencing the Full Four Years
I am beyond grateful that I have the opportunity to graduate early. It is an accomplishment that I am sincerely proud of, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have brief thoughts of regret. Maybe that sounds bad in a way, but the truth is, at times I wish I wasn’t graduating early.
This is because I won’t be able to fully experience the entire four years of college like most people do and with experience comes growth. Surely I’ve grown from last year to this year, but I can’t exactly say I’ve grown a lot. At times it feels almost like by graduating early I am losing opportunities that I would’ve had if I would’ve done all four years. Although, what I’ve realized is that the years you spend in college doesn’t determine your competency.
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What Comes Next?
Asking a college senior ‘What comes next?’ can be one of the most dreadful, uncomfortable questions that they will come across. It’s not exactly because they don’t know, although that could be the case, but because the future comes with many unpredictable and lifechanging possibilities. So, to be completely honest, I have no idea what comes next. Maybe graduate school? A job hopefully? I have no clue, but to those who worry about what comes next in my life, fear not, I won’t let the hard work I poured into school be taken for granted.
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Making Friends in Class
If you’re like me, and came to GCU with only your Upper Division courses to finish, making friends might have not been that easy at first. Classes at GCU, specifically the Upper Division courses, are so incredibly small. Along with that, something I’ve realized is that everyone in class is already friends with each other. Perhaps they met during their freshman or sophomore year and are now close friends during their junior or senior year of college. It can be quite intimidating making friends when everyone else have already made their own friend groups and have grown together as the years have gone on. I can’t say its impossible, but it can be a struggle.
Perhaps push to put yourself out there and try to be friends with your classmates. Get involved and join study groups. Find something you relate with the person sitting next to you and then who knows? They might not just become a new friend but a possibly roommate for the following years.
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Friendships
Since the topic of friendship has been brought up, a struggle that many early graduates go through is having to leave them. Being at GCU for almost two years I have encountered some amazing people that have impacted my college path. Whether I met them last year or this semester, each of my friendships are important to me because they have been of support through the struggles of school. It can be quite sad thinking about the people that I will have to leave once I graduate. But I know that some of these friendships will survive passed my college days, and to those friendships that don’t, I am still incredibly thankful for anyone I’ve crossed paths with.
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To say the least, graduating early comes with many struggles but it is also a blessing. Just because something comes with struggles doesn’t mean there isn’t a plus side. In their own unique way, each of the struggles have prepared and shaped me into who I am and although there are brief thoughts of doubt, I know it is worthwhile. Cheers to graduating early!