My Blessing in Disguise: The Sweet side of the Super-Senior

A Dash Of Am

by UMES (Super!) Senior Amber Green

My Blessing in Disguise: The Sweet side of the Super-Senior

“When are you graduating?”

The dreaded question, I so commonly hear on campus, at work, and at home.

Before, I used to avoid the question entirely:

“Huh? Oh shoot! I’m late for class.”

Then, I grew some strength to say, “December.”  And then the person, most of the time a student, would say, “Well at least it’s in 2012, right!”  High Five!! I knowingly slap my hand against theirs in guilty excitement.

I quickly found out, high fiving for false achievement is just as bad as lying to your parents about when you are graduating. The guilt is real.

So, my question is - why the lies? Why the shame? Why the urge to crawl in a turtle shell, hiding from disappointing stares and judgmental notions?

Because: society, our school, our professors, and even other students pressure us into thinking that graduating from a “four-year” university is supposed to be in four years.  No questions asked.

There is nothing wrong with graduating in four-years. That should be every college student's goal. Come in and leave in the time span planned out for you. Though, as life every so often proves, nothing goes as planned.

So, to debut my new found strength and courage to admit truth:

Hello. My name is Amber Green and I enrolled at UMES in August 2008 and I will be graduating in Fall of 2013.

By credit, that makes me a junior, but by experience and mindset, I am a full blown Super-Senior. Will I go into detail to why this happen? What I did do? What I didn’t do? No. Though, if you want to learn from my experience and mistakes, feel free to ask me. My story could be your story.

I just want to say to my fellow super-seniors: STOP PUTTING YOURSELF DOWN!

To faculty, teachers, and other students: STOP PUTTING US DOWN!

We are aware of what we were supposed to do but sometimes, there is a reason beyond our understanding to why things happen…or don’t happen. I ask myself daily, “If I had graduated in May, what would I be doing right now? Would I truly be prepared?”

Eh. No. I see being here as not lengthening a jail sentence but having a chance to network with more people I encounter every day. Make new connections, spruce up my resume even more. I have found a way to look at this as my blessing in disguise.

I log on Facebook and see friends make sad posts about not graduating on time. I hear classmates speak on how they are scared to go home because they are afraid of what their parents would do, once they found out. STOP!

You are not helping the situation but preventing the situation to progressing into a blessing. For whatever reason, either you failed classes and had to take the semester off or lost financial aid, things happen for a reason. Pick up the ball and run with it. Live and Learn.

So to all my closet Super-Seniors…you are not alone and there is nothing wrong with being a “late bloomer”. To all my fellow super-seniors, let’s stay focused and get out of here. Let’s not take this extra time for granted!

Much Love!

Am



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The Real Life @ UMES Blog is written by students. It is a place for our commentary and opinions about what life is really like @ the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. It is not designed to express the views and opinions of the University as a whole. Peace.