Hurry up and wait: Reflections of a senior happy to take five years

By Ashley Stolworthy

May 4, 2005 | Three days and counting. This long awaited moment has finally come.

After five years of somewhat grueling study sessions at Utah State, late-night girl talk with the roommates and summers of working to pay for school . . . graduation. I just finished my last final of my undergraduate career and am basking in the joy of a break from homework and the stress of school. (While my professor is reading this part, she is silently cursing me because I was supposed to have this article to her two months ago. I apologize.)

I say five years, not four, because that's how long it's taken me to graduate, even with a full class load each semester. Some have heckled me, saying, "It shouldn't take that long," or asking if I'm an engineering student.

"Come on," I say with a chuckle. "I'm not that smart."

I think some people's educations need to take a little longer than the prescribed four-year degrees most universities, friends, family members and others recommend. Why? Well . . . because. Life isn't supposed to be a rat race all the time. Sometimes you have to sit back and enjoy yourself, or need to remove yourself from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Even though my life for the last five years has not been all peaches and cream and low-key, I have learned more about who I am and what makes me unique than if I would have hurried through school and gone straight into the workforce.

Although I was fortunate enough to find a full-time job two months before graduation (which explains why this article is two months late), I wouldn't have wanted to work full time if I would have graduated "on schedule" last year. There are still hopes and dreams that I want to accomplish in my life, and I didn't need to hurry and finish school just so I could wait around, trying to find a job.

According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, "the common standard by which the U.S. Education Department measures graduation rates is six years, not four." So, what's the big deal? My "Five Year Plan" is right on schedule, even early. Sure, others who go to school just three years longer are doctors, and we don't chide them for their efforts.

I think the main reasons more and more students are extending their expected graduation dates are rising tuition costs, the declines in government financial assistance and the subsequent need for students to work more while in school. I could list at least 20 more physical aspects, but the mental aspects are even greater, and they're not all negative.

What about finding out for yourself what you truly believe in, whether it be political, religious or philosophical. Or taking a few classes outside your major. Heaven forbid we should take some human anatomy, sign language or dancing classes if you're a journalism student - which is exactly what I did. Now I'm the one answering friends' random questions about what muscle they pulled during a workout or teaching them how to sign.

I'm not saying advocating that students should stay in college as long as possible to avoid the real world. I'm just expressing the belief that we don't need to rush through life and miss out on the important stuff. The professional world will still be out there when we leave this little community of Aggie Land. During my time at Utah State I have had the opportunity to work to pay (for the most part) for my education, have met thousands of amazing people from around the world, participated in hundreds of university clubs and activities, and have solidified life-long friendships I will always keep close.

But, I will never forget the day I moved here from Henderson , Nev., and my mom drove away with tears in her eyes (with one of my brothers laughing at her in the back seat); or the January morning my sophomore year my cousin Amanda and I built a fort in our front yard with the 2.5 feet of snow that blanketed the valley in just one night; or the day I called home to hear my 13-year-old sister, Giulia, tell me in between sobs that our 17-year-old brother, Keith, was being Lifeflighted to the Las Vegas trauma center after a motorcycle accident, and I had to call all of my parents' 25-plus siblings and tell them; nor the rainy day I sat in Mike Sweeney's writing class and had an epiphany of what I should do in grad school and the business I want to start.

These are the lectures of life that cannot be taught in any classroom, they can only be experienced with time and patience. I hold thousands of memories of Logan, Utah State and friends. If I would have rushed through this college experience I would have burned myself out so much during the final stretch that I would have had to wait and recuperate.

Instead, at graduation on Saturday I can sit back and enjoy being surrounded by fellow Aggies, with family members watching, and being only slightly worried (yet extremely excited) about what life has in store for me -- all because I didn't hurry up and wait.

Ashley Stolworthy is a proud five-year senior, graduating with a B.S. in journalism and communication, with a public relations and print journalism dual-emphasis. Any comments, complaints or praises may be sent to astolworthy@gmail.com.

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