“A junior.” My reply when asked what year I am at SMSU. I do not have to figure it out. How far am I into my degree or when I started versus when I will graduate? My automatic answer is always, “a junior.”

Why?

Well, look at the available choices.

Freshman – Be honest; if you had it all to do over again (which I am doing now with my 2nd four-year degree) would you ever call yourself a “freshman” again? Do you really want to start over with a nervous look on your face as you roam the “mazed halls” looking for the right building and classroom?  And to be so naïve again? Admittedly sometimes it seems appealing to clean out our overgrown cynic ways, but overall not enviable. So to those freshmen reading this now, be honest. You must be glad to complete this year and move on to something other than a freshman.

Sophomore – It can be a tough year. This semester I heard someone in the halls say: “Everyone always says we are so crabby. And I think they’re right. We are sophomores after all.” During this second year many people have completed their required base classes and get serious about their selected major. In fact, it is common for people to change their majors during or just before entering their sophomore year. This may include transferring from one college to another. Sophomore year is a lot of pressure especially so soon after the shocking change of “high school-at-home-life” to “college-independence-life”. So, even though as a freshman you were looking forward to being something other than a freshman, being a sophomore is no walk in the park either.

Senior – This section could take up the entire school newspaper alone, but I will just summarize to these key points. 1) graduation is coming, 2) resume writing, job searching and interviews are unavoidable, 3) “real world-independence-life” is looming and 4) parents questions are annoyingly numerous. Being a senior can be fun while at college. But the getting ready for “real life” stuff can be overwhelming. Just remember: it’s all worth it. There is life after college.

Junior – Based on all of the above arguments, to me, being a junior is the best. As a junior you are usually deep into your major (which is and should be something interesting to you). You know your way around campus, Marshall, and southwestern Minnesota. You know and are known to many others on campus. You have the “college-independence-life” thing down to an art (although some of you have messier art styles than others!) Your main stress is looking for an internship you are interested in and pushing to get one. At least you know after the summer internship you will return to your comfortable and familiar college surroundings.

Okay. Let’s be practical for a minute. When it comes to the standing, each of us is in college right this minute, it can be a muddled answer, mainly due to people completing college courses in high school, taking advantage of summer school, having to take fewer classes as they work to put themselves through college, transferring from other colleges, changing majors, and adding minors.

From college academic year to year, many of us can not clearly define our standing (freshman, sophomore, junior or senior) in college right this minute.
In a Time Business on-line article, “The Myth of the Four-Year College”, interesting stats from the Department of Education are shared. “Fewer than 40% of students who enter college each year graduate within four years, while almost 60% of students graduate in six years.”

Institutions (banks, employers, colleges, credit card companies, etc.) recognize this as well. You see this during your college years when filling out forms. Many forms now ask “when do you expect to graduate? (month and year)” instead of “what is your standing in college: freshman, sophomore, junior or senior?” The former question provides more valuable information for the institutions.

So, here we are. Does this mean standing (i.e.,’ junior’ versus ‘graduating spring 2015’) is not the politically correct answer any longer? Well, maybe.
But I’ve never been too political anyway and I am definitely not cool, so…

What am I, this second time four-year degree seeking, four decades old, wife of 21 years and mother of three? A junior. I was a junior when I started college again and I will be the oldest graduating junior in 20xx???

Hmmm…..