Basically I earned my associates degree at a community college which took about 2 1/2-3 years due to only being half time my first year while I was getting used to everything. I then transferred to a university to work on my Bachelors degree and I am two years in with my counselor saying I have two years to go.
This would mean I will be in college for seven years total and I will not graduate until I am 24 years old. I guess I am asking if this is ok due to me feeling like I am a failure that it is taking me this long to graduate. It seems like everyone in my age group is already graduating and I am falling behind.
I am a Forensic Science major if that holds any importance.
You’re going to turn 24 either way – do you want to turn 24 as a college graduate or as a dropout?
If it is taking you so long to finish because you keep dropping or failing classes, perhaps this isn’t the right major for you. If you’re making progress, just a little more slowly than some, it’s okay to finish when you finish.
I have only had to retake one class so it isn’t that. It is mostly the fact that the courses I need are not offered in a convenient time some are offered in the fall and some in the spring but with prerequisites my schedule just never adds up. I just feel as if it should not be taking 3 years more than ‘average’ for me to get my degree.
The average time it takes a person to graduate from college is definitely more than 4 years. The median is probably 4 years, but the average is certainly higher.
You are not a failure when it takes longer than you think it should to SUCCESSFULLY complete a degree. You are actually accomplishing a goal. When you are 50, you’ll look back and think 24 is mighty young. Keep on going. Education is a special and precious thing. You won’t regret it, no matter how long it takes.
Once you graduate from high school, there’s no longer an established timeline. You take the path you choose, or the path you’re handed, and you finish when you finish.
I’m one of 5 kids. Another sister and I finished in 4 years. The other three all interrupted their educations for one reason or another, finishing when they finished. And, nope, not one is a “failure.”
Six years for me. I also graduated at the age of 24. I love the post above about you turning 24 regardless. I’m now in my mid-fifties. My current job is directly related to my degree. I simply wouldn’t have my job without my degree.
Are there any options for doing online courses? Find out, that may move things more quickly.
My husband dropped out of college as a senior studying education. He realized after doing his student teaching gig that the field wasn’t for him! He wandered around the country for about six years, then went back to school to major in engineering. He was 30 when he got out. We met in grad school. I was young, so if he hadn’t taken so long to finish his undergraduate degree, he would have been too old for me, ha. We now run our own engineering firm, so I’m very happy he took the path he did.
Enjoy school and finish when you can. You’re fine!
Hmmm… is the schedule problem an issue with your job? Is there any way to change jobs? A class may not be offered at a better time next year or next semester.
Other than that, there’s not much more to say than, “hang in there.”
A lot of schools seem to have stats about students graduating between 4 to 6 years, so I really don’t think you are that “behind”. People change majors. Life happens. I don’t see 24 as old. I graduated when I was 23 and I felt terribly old because I technically “should have” graduated when I was 21. However, life happened. I dropped out of high school at the age of 14. I couldn’t get my GED until I was 17 - I would have gotten it earlier if I was allowed, but they told me I had to take the exam during the year I would have graduated had I continued high school. I was going to school less than part-time my first two years at community college because I didn’t qualify for the class fee waiver at the time; I took a whopping total of 7 units my first year. I spent 4 years at CC before I transferred and then 1 1/2 years at a university. I thought I was a fossil, but the truth is, you don’t really have to advertise your age or anything. During a lab section for one of my classes, I was shocked to learned that one of the students was 28! He didn’t look it. I also took an enlightening gerontology class that taught me even more that education is a lifelong journey. It’s never too late to get your degree.
A good friend just got her BS, after a hiatus of 25 years. Life and family got in the way. She plans to return to her old career, and needed a degree to do it. You’re never too old.
My DH took 10 years to finally graduate from college. He had to repeat several classes, had a very difficult major, often had to take a reduced course load because he had to also work while going to school since his parents couldn’t afford to pay for any of it.
It’s worth it. Don’t give up if it’s something you really want to do.