UMBC has been a big rollercoaster for me. Literally freshman year was like the beginning of a roller-coaster where it’s calm and just straightforward. You’re anticipating for the fun to come and you riding in thinking “This will best ride of my life.” That was true until sophomore year. That crap was like the roller-coaster had 5 screws missing from the track. A track that was wobbly and unstable to begin with. My father got severely ill to the point of hospitalization. No one ever saw it coming, and broke me to the core. Due to my father living in another state, I had to continue going back and forth, and it really affected my mental and emotional. I literally just gave up on school. That semester I failed. I failed. ME! I failed. My mother was so disappointed , and it wasn’t even because the school didn’t give me excuses/extensions, it’s because “I let myself go, there are people out there that have it way worse than you.” Lol. So due to me “letting myself go”, I have became a super senior. Now that I’m here for another semester, paying another big ass tuition, and another semester from my dreams and hopes. Three months might not be too much for some people, but for me that’s basically half a lifetime (I know dramatic) that I could have used going to PA school. I honestly told myself that I would finish my degree in precisely 4 years, but I guess things happen for a reason.
Unruly Bodies 
ugh this!!!! Although I wasn’t a freshman-senior here at UMBC, I transferred in the middle of this crazy pandemic and it has been a rollercoaster of emotions and overwhelming moments where I have wanted to just give up. I have barely made any friends, I switched to online-only next semester because in person sucks, and I just feel overall lost. What’s crazy is there are so many other students (commuter students especially, like me) who feel the same way, yet are so afraid of making connections. It sucks tbh… I’m sorry about that happening to your dad, you should never feel that school is a priority over that, your mom should be more understanding of your feelings. They are validated 100%!
I transferred at the beginning of 2020 and then the pandemic happened and I thought that I would never finish. This semester has been hard for a lot of us but that doesn’t invalidate what we each have to go through. It must have been hard going back and forth and having your father on your mind while you were probably just trying to get to class and pass. My mother is the same way with me honestly, it’s hard when your mind is miles away thinking about your loved ones while also trying just to get through schoolwork. I’m proud of you for making it this far and here’s to another semester.
I feel the same way. Before my first semester, I was all set to go through my four years at UMBC. Then I joined the Navy accidentally, and spent the Spring taking the semester off. Then I cheated on an exam and failed a course. And then COVID-19 happened. Nothing went as I planned. And here I am trying to get an internship so I can graduate in the Spring. I came to terms that nothing goes as planned.
SHOUT OUT TO YOU PUSHING THROUGH AND STILL GOING FOR YOUR DEGREE!!!!!! Through everything you’ve been through and you have not given up on a degree?! I read that you feel like you failed but look at all that you’ve brought to the table. Freaking power house. I hope that you continue to believe in yourself and that you feel every victory.
Unasked for advice: when I am sad because It hasn’t been 4 years, I sometimes throw mini dance parties because nobody has tenacity like me and I know all of this will pay off.
#superseniorhere
Stranger to stranger: I am proud of you.
I remember when I failed my first college class, it really felt like the end of the world. I have since failed a few more college classes and come to understand it’s frustrating and heartbreaking, but the best thing you can do is pick it all up and move forward. I want you to know how amazing it is that even though you’re faced with this, you’re still pushing forward to a degree, that takes strength. I’ve been in college for 5 years and finally am going to graduate, it’s okay to take your time and even though it’s an extra semester, your degree is in reach. The end is near and I know you’re going to get to that finish line with your degree! Keep going, you’ve got this!
I transferred into UMBC and I remember being so disheartened by the title “super senior” because I’m a bit behind. But I’ve learned that there’s no real timeline for education. Everyone is on their own journey and it’s the destination that matters, not how long it took to get there! We’re almost done, you got this!
That 4-year plan is so outdated. Life sometimes throws curveballs you never expected, and by reading this, it seems you are doing a really good job coping with it. We are all just trying to succeed and is so important to breathe while doing, and be proud we are passing classes! Everyone is super even though they might not be seniors! Good luck!
Although it may seem like you “disappointed” people, I am proud of you! Most people in your situation would’ve given up and continue to let themselves go! you should be proud of yourself for taking that extra step and persevering. Life isn’t always easy nor goes the way we try to plan it out but you took the hadn’t dealt to you and made it work! Good luck with all your future endeavors!
Although it may seem like you “disappointed” people, I am proud of you! Most people in your situation would’ve given up and continue to let themselves go! you should be proud of yourself for taking that extra step and persevering. Life isn’t always easy nor goes the way we try to plan it out but you took the hadn’t dealt to you and made it work! Good luck with all your future endeavors!
I can relate to this post wholeheartedly. Although I am a transfer student, I recently made the decision to graduate in the spring ’24 rather than ’23 because I didn’t want to take summer classes or generally feel rushed. However, it took a lot for me to make this decision because I had a very specific timeline planned for my academic career, and I saw an extra year as delaying my dreams. On top of that, it is more money, effort, time, etc. But a realization I had that led me to my decision is that the timeline I had created for myself was entirely arbitrary. I was so stuck on graduating in four years because that’s what you’re ‘supposed to do’ and I felt like straying from that would be me failing. All of that to say, I’m proud of you for making it this far in your degree despite the obstacles life as thrown at you, and don’t be too hard on yourself! We all go through life at our own pace.
i relate to this on a deep level, i came in as a freshman and now im going on having 3 more semeters past when i was supposed to graduate and hosestly im terrified i messed up.
I can see that a lot of people relate to this. I used to think that I would be in and out after 4 years. But I was so uncertain about what I wanted to do that it felt like I kept changing majors. Then I discovered that I was just at the wrong school. So I transferred to UMBC, where it has a major I love and is actually challenging. When I first failed a course I was so upset with myself, but now I’m learning what I can and can’t handle which is super helpful. I’ve been in college for almost 5 years and I’ll still need a semester after that. 😛