Let me start off by congratulating everyone who finished college in the respected four years and a standing ovation to those who finished in less than four years. Now, to everyone like me who is experiencing their second senior year in college, I also want to congratulate us because instead of giving up and deciding that one or even multiple setbacks was a reason to leave, we decided to push through. Our victory lap is going to be glorious. It’s just a minor setback for a major comeback. With that being said, there are truly some perks to finishing college just a little behind schedule.
1. You don’t have to become an adult so quickly
Once you get your degree, you have to enter the real world and that type of change can be unsettling or make you feel unprepared. Spending a little extra time in college allows you to mature and fully indulge in your major which can take away the anxiety of feeling like you have been rushed.
2. More experiences
Maybe during your first couple of years in college you didn’t exactly get to participate in all the events or organizations that you wanted. Now that you have an extra semester or year you can finally participate in more activities like you had planned. You can go to more sporting events, or join an organization that looks great on your resume and you can even take the time to study abroad.
3. Networking
Sometimes in life it’s not what you know, but who you know and when it comes to getting your first real “adult” job out of college it’s always a good idea to have solid recommendations to fall back on. You never know who you’re going to meet while you’re in college and you never know what type of connections they may have. Seeing the class you came in with leave may be upsetting but the amount of people you’re going to meet along the way could really help in the future.
4. You have a group of friends for everything
Every person you come across in college serves a different position in your life. Some of your friends help you to let loose, others make sure you stay on top of your work and some are just there for you to vent. While you may have one established group, you have a set of friends for all types of occasions.
5. You’ve lived and you’ve learned
You’re done with the days of partying with people who have “X’s on their hands and you’re way past being the person who can’t handle their drinks every time they go out. No longer do you fear the library because you know it’s where you can get the most work done and feel productive. Gone are the days of asking how to get to certain buildings on campus and you know the best food places in town where you can get pizza a dollar a slice. You have mastered everything they could never teach in a textbook.
While the term victory lap is often attributed to sports I think it’s safe to say that college is almost like a sport. You train, sometimes you get hurt, you take losses, but all those setbacks just make the wins so much better. So to everyone that’s on their victory lap take it in stride because this race is ours.