Super-senior students stick around to take victory lap

For some students, four years just isn’t enough. Some become graduates, while others stay on to hold the lofty title of super-senior.

While many students complete their degrees in four years, some students stay on for a victory lap. It’s usually not a deliberate decision, but sometimes a fifth year at school is more like a stroke of luck than an unfortunate setback.

“I appreciate staying here more, knowing that when I graduate, I’m going to have to get a job, pay back my loans and enter the real world,” said fifth-year senior Wes Barnes.

Barnes, who is studying sociology after switching his major twice, said that the fifth year experience has its ups and downs.

“Everybody moves away, and it’s tough to find stuff to do,” he said. “I’ve got a few friends, but everybody else graduated and got jobs and are doing their own thing now.”

Fifth-year education major Lauren Detrick agreed. Her group of friends has also dwindled this year, but she’s working on changing that.

“I’ve still been meeting people,” she said. “I’ve made friends every single year, including this year.”

Popularity aside, Detrick cited familiarity as a fifth-year bonus.

“Once you’re a fifth-year, you kind of have the ropes down,” she said. “You know where everything is and you know how to get your stuff done, so it’s kind of an easy year in that regard.”

Barnes said the pros outweigh the cons.

He loves it here in Bloomington, he said, even if his student loans are high.

“That’s something I’m going to have to deal with later on down the road,” he said. “This gives me a little more time to figure out what I’m going to do.”

A little more time is just what many of these super-seniors need.

With a recession officially confirmed for the first time since 2001, the security of college life now looks more attractive than ever.

“The economy is tanking, so it’s not a good time to get hired,” said Joe Hake, a religious studies major. “Waiting a year to graduate, hopefully things will blow over.”

Hake is an unusual super-senior. He graduated high school in the same year as other fifth-years, but won’t be getting his degree until next fall. He said he decided to take a year off after spending two and a half years at Wabash College. He moved up to Chicago, got a job, and realized that getting a degree was worth it after all.

“I was in the real world when I was in Chicago,” he said. “I realized that I don’t want to live on a $10-an-hour job.”

Still, Hake is ready to move on.

“It’s kind of weird being a bit older than everyone else,” he said. “I’m at the Villas, so I’m surrounded by kids – people that were freshmen when I was a senior in high school.”

Brian Kieffer, a fifth-year senior majoring in tourism management, shares a similar desire to begin his adult life.

“I’ve grown past the college life,” he said. “I’m ready to move into a life with more responsibility and potential. It’s also hard knowing your friends are doing something they like, and getting paid for it, allowing them to do things I haven’t been able to do.”