Four years not enough for ‘super seniors’

Being a senior should mean you’ve endured four years of hard work and are getting ready to receive a diploma. But at VCU, being a senior means probably you’ve put in four years of hard work and you’re going to put in a couple more.

Students extending their studies at VCU are called “super seniors.” The term is slang for students who do not graduate after the traditional four years. At VCU there is an abundance of super seniors – serious academics who’ve either missed the four-year mark or are approaching their expected graduation dates without a way to fulfill the requirements needed to graduate.

Though VCU is known as a four-year university, the majority of its students will not graduate in four years.

The latest enrollment report, provided by the Center for Institutional Effectiveness, said an estimated 10,000 freshmen enrolled at VCU in the past three years. VCU graduation rates, available through the university’s Web site, show only 41 percent eventually graduate.

Brenda Figueroa, 21, is a senior criminal justice major who is watching her academic clock tick.

“I meet with a graduate adviser offered through my department. I began meeting with an adviser before each semester during my sophomore year,” said Figueroa, who hoped to graduate in May 2007, but it will not.

Figueroa said her parents would love not to have to pay for another semester and avoid the rising costs of tuition. But they would rather see Figueroa finish late instead of not finishing at all.

Kathleen Nash, a creative advertising major, also began her fourth year this fall. She is looking for a way to cram in all the required classes left for her to graduate in four years.

Nash said a May 2007 graduation date “seems possible, but not very probable.” Nash’s parents said they will pay for four years, but after that – finished or not – the financial assistance they have provided will no longer be available. Until then, Nash is trying to focus on passing the classes she needs to finish – whenever that might be.

As a creative advertising major, Nash is enrolled in the School of Mass Communications.

Carol Mawyer, the school’s student services coordinator, said the school’s programs are designed to allow students to graduate in four years, and a substantial number of students do succeed.

However, Mawyer said it is not uncommon for students to spend more than two years completing the general requirements, and students can’t begin their upper-level classes until the general requirements are fulfilled. According to Mawyer, the upper-level program also is designed to be completed in four semesters.

Jonathan Armstrong, 23, is a transfer student from George Mason University. Armstrong, unlike many other students, invites the idea of a few extra years in college.

“It’s given me more freedom since I don’t have to work crazy hours,” he said. “My parents are helping me now, but after I graduate I’m going to have to take care of everything on my own. I feel lucky to an extent, but I definitely feel the pressure to finish.”

Armstrong said he thinks VCU faculty could have done more to guide him toward a timely graduation. Armstrong and many others find it tough to deal with prerequisites, and restrictions keep students from taking certain classes simultaneously. Many classes also fill quickly, and with a limited number of courses offered each semester, it’s not unusual for students to need more time to complete degree requirements.

One common aim among all of these students is that they plan to graduate. It might not be when they planned, but they are determined to continue the effort as super seniors, super-super seniors, or even super-super-super seniors.