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Has anyone else taken 6+yrs to graduate?

I ended up taking a year out due to health reasons in 2019 & then covid became problematic so I took another year out in 2020. After the 2yrs out, I returned and completed my 1st year to a good standard. I entered 2nd year and then my health issues really interfered towards the end of the year, so with the recommendation of my advisor, I decided to repeat 2nd year. This will mean that by the time I graduate it would have taken me technically 6yrs of my life to get to that point.

It makes me feel a bit sick that it’s taken me so long, it’s such a huge chunk of my life. I also find it quite embarrassing sometimes (more so that I’ve had to repeat 2nd yr) and I’m scared it won’t look good if I apply to some competitive jobs.

Has anyone else taken unusually long to graduate? Did it cause you any difficulty finding any employment? Did employers question it and make you explain? I would also love to hear your stories, it would be so comforting to know of ppl who have been through something similar and have gone on to be successful regardless of the slightly more unconventional path.

Also, any tips on helping me not beat myself would be great.

Reply 1

Anonymous #2

I'm working my way through a similar timeline right now, not graduating for another few years so can't answer your employment experience questions though!

I do sometimes catch myself looking at all my school friends out living adult life and thinking "that should have been me", especially this summer since this should have been my graduation. I find what helps me most is remembering the context - there is no hypothetical scenario within my control that would have seen me graduate this year. Being ill was not within my control, so "I'd be graduating now if I hadn't dropped out" simply isn't true. I'd just have become more ill and ended up never graduating. The extra time has been unconventional, sure, but absolutely necessary for me to recover and gain all sorts of extra skills, life experience, and ultimately (I hope) a degree, so I overall appreciate it for what it is.

In terms of employment, I imagine it could lead to some awkward questions, but I'm hoping a vague "illness" explanation before going on to explain all that I gained/learned in that extra time will stop it being a detriment. Clearly I'm not an expert though, so I plan to discuss with a careers advisor just since it is a slightly less standard situation, and maybe you could do the same while you're still at uni for some reassurance/advice :smile: