Before I started college, a few people told me I could maybe graduate early. Back then, the idea seemed silly. Why should I be in a rush? I was sure four years would fly by, but it wasn’t too long before I realized I wanted to graduate early. While not everyone has this choice or the desire, here are my reasons for opting to shorten my time at college.
- College classes proved harder than I expected
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I don’t think anyone genuinely understands how hard college classes are until you start taking them. Even though this happens to nearly every college student, and I had always been good with academics, it wasn’t long before I felt burnt out. The effort needed to be successful, and the big workloads were overwhelming. Every semester felt more demanding than the one before, so it made me wonder if I could handle four years of college academics.
- Working started to sound more enticing than studying
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Look, I don’t think there are a lot of people who actively enjoy studying – if you do, good for you!– but for most of my life, I hadn’t minded it so much. It was just part of my routine, but after I had my first internship, I realized that maybe I was ready to join the workforce a little earlier than I had anticipated. Even though both work and school have pros and cons, I feel as though I am ready to move on from my years as a student, and dedicate myself full-time to a job in public relations. I feel more motivated at the thought of working for a job than I do at the thought of dedicating myself to my classes.
- My Mental Health
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Even though college can be a lot of fun, it’s also very stressful in different ways. Starting college during the pandemic already put a damper on my experience. Even though that factor wasn’t present throughout all my years, I still faced a lot of uncertainty, and stress not only affected my mental health but made it hard to enjoy my college years. While I realize post-grad life will bring its own adulthood challenges, I feel it’ll be a better start for me.
- Moving Out of Florida
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This may seem like a random and unpopular reason, but I personally didn’t enjoy living in the central Florida area. I lived in the southwest Florida area for about eight years before I came here, and as silly as it may sound, I experienced a big culture shock since I hadn’t lived in a big city for a while. Even though Orlando is a really fun city, with a lot of things to do, I can’t really see myself living here for too long. As unpopular as this may sound, I don’t feel like I could thrive in a bigger city, so I’m really looking forward to moving back to my smaller hometown.
My college years were full of surprises. If you had told me three years ago I would be graduating early, I would have laughed, but here I am. One of the biggest takeaways from my years as a college student is that you need to do what’s best for you, and for me, finishing my degree early was the best choice. Like I said before, I realize not everyone has the option, but I’m very grateful I had the opportunity to do so. I’m ready to move on to bigger and better things!