By|Charlotte Rutigliano
For students like senior Criminology and Justice Studies major Emely Velez, taking an extra semester to graduate from college can be beneficial.
“I came in as a transfer student and met all my requirements within the two-year span,” Velez said. “This extra semester is more so for me to take prerequisites and classes that will better prepare me for graduate school.”
Velez, who was determined to finish in two years, now says she is okay with taking an extra semester because she started panicking about the next steps in her education.
While staying can be a beneficial choice for some students, others have to stay out of necessity, like English major Kenneth Rainey, who graduated in the Fall of 2013.
“I transferred as a junior, and didn’t do well my first semester at HSU,” Rainey said, “I was one term behind, so I stayed out of necessity, which came from my own mistakes.”
According to Clint Rebik, the University Registrar, there are several measures the university has to help students graduate in four years. Measures including the extensive use of four-year Major Academic Plans (MAPs), the u.Direct degree planning tool, and major academic advising.
Junior Marketing major Ashley Wylander, who is expecting to graduate in the Fall of 2018, said the only reason she is taking an extra semester is to fulfill a minor requirement.
“If I were not receiving my minor then I would be done in four years,” Wylander said.
Taking an extra semester or just more than four years may not be the most traditional idea when thinking about graduating college, but as more students take that route, they may make it the new normal.
