Has a fourth year college student outgrown the college mentality already?

I hear people say things like a fourth year college student is leaving college or something, so does that mean they’ve already outgrown the college/school mentality?

I think there is a much different mentality, at least socially, for an 18 year old freshman and a 21 year old senior.

They may also have run out of money.

Yeah, my senior daughter is ready to be done. She wants to get her career going.
My senior son graduates in December. He said he was not planning on learning anything, but at the last minute decided to enroll in an expert Arabic class. He sat in on the class before making his decision and said, “Darn it, it’s a good one!” Ha.

Last year when my daughter was a senior in college many of her friends thought she was insane for wanting to continue on to a PhD program. There is a developmental and time limiting progression going on here. College is not designed to be indefinite. Even the student going to graduate school is going on to something else. College is a stepping stone to life with an education that hopefully supports your goals in the long run.

A lot of them have friends who have graduated and are having new experiences and adventures, and they are looking forward to that. Many are working on post grad plans (whether a job or in academia.) I would encourage seniors to stay present and make the most of this year, in the classroom and with friends. Even if they are feeling a bit itchy about what comes next, they won’t be here again either.

Like many things, it depends on the person. There is a range of college experiences. Both of my kids by senior year they were 21 and they tended to socialize more off campus or in friend’s apartments. They were also looking towards their future – applying to grad schools etc. They both enjoyed their senior years but it seemed to have a different, more forward looking, less campus oriented focus.

FWIW while both of my kids had absolutely fantastic undergrad experiences, they each felt ready to move on after four years.

I’d say yes. I hated my senior year overall. I loved my classes, but outside of that I felt like I had pretty much grown out of my “college experience” in general. I was ready to move on, but not everyone is. It’s a personal preference.

College can be many things for different students at different stages of their college experience. The experience of a senior will be different than that of a first year - and it should be. It’s not worse or better but different and just as important.