I started at SUNY New Paltz in 2013, fresh out of high school and ready to take on the world. I got right into the swing of things between classes and meeting new people. But somewhere along the way during the Spring Semester of my freshman year I got a little lost. I didn’t like my intended major and I was struggling to stay interested in my classes. As a result what would have been the fall semester of my sophomore year I took a break from school. I needed to stay home and figure out what I was doing before I came back and committed. So, I stayed home for a semester and worked rather than coming back to New Paltz.
The transition for me was really difficult at first because all of my friends and my significant other were still at New Paltz while I was stuck at home. I visited a lot and that allowed me to speak to advisors and try and figure out what program I would fit best in as well as realize that I was definitely going to be coming back to school in the spring. When I finally did come back to school I started speaking to people about their majors. One of the girls in my sorority was in the Human Services concentration in the sociology program, it sounded like something that was right up my alley and would go well with my personality. That week I went and checked it out and the program director sat with me for an hour explaining the program and how it works and allowing me to pick her brain about the field. After having that conversation I knew it was the right decision to declare my major and apply for the concentration.
I declared my major as sociology and applied to the program with the knowledge that it would mean I would be here for an extra year. At first I really struggled with that idea, college is supposed to be a four year process, not five. I was scared of being judged and people thinking that I wasn’t trying hard enough or I must’ve just not done well enough in classes my first year. I didn’t want my family to think I wasn’t trying or that I wasn’t going to succeed in graduating. Little did I know I was worried about all of these things for no reason. My family and friends have been nothing but supportive about the fact that I need a little extra time to finish my degree.
Eventually I personally came to terms with the fact that I wasn’t alone. There are plenty of people who don’t graduate in the typical four year time period and that is perfectly okay. The most important thing is that you did it and that you are graduating. I am not the only one of my friends who is a “super senior” and I am glad at this point that I get to stay in my favorite place in the world for a whole extra year. I enjoy the program I am in and I have made a lot of friends here that I wouldn’t have made if I wasn’t here an extra year. Although it may not be a fun choice to have to make, the choice to stay the extra year for me was obvious and I am truly excited to see what the rest of the year has in store for me.
I graduate this May and although it was difficult at first to realize that in the long run taking that semester off and staying the full extra year was going to be the best thing for me I know that it was a good decision. I will miss New Paltz with all of my heart when I leave but for now I am going to enjoy my extra year and the extra time I have with the people I love in the place I love.