I ran into a student earlier this week who plans to graduate in three years.

All I said to her was “Hi.”

Her response was something like, “I don’t know what I’m going to do. I have a lab report that was due last week.

“I have four tests this week. I have ten million meetings to go to. I don’t care. I have a report due tomorrow that isn’t done, but it’s going to be done.

“I haven’t slept in months, I’m working way too much. What am I going to do after I graduate? I need, I want, I wish blah blah blah blah blah.”

She’s been taking classes full-time at Iowa State for eight consecutive semesters.

That sounds incredible in writing, but the idea obviously has the word stress written all over it.

My advice to her and her advice to herself was to take a break. But something always manages to prioritize this, whether it be exams, projects or a job.

But sometimes, you don’t have the option of taking a break.

My best friend, a junior, will graduate next summer from a program that can only be taken year-round.

The three-year plan is obviously rare among students.

Some of us plan on graduating in four years and do. Some of us plan on graduating in four years and end up pursuing the decade plan.

In essence, graduating in four seems like a normal expectation turned into a wish come true for the students who do it.

But getting a head start on the rest of your life isn’t a bad idea. Neither is sticking around long enough to find what you really want to do with the rest of your life.

Students’ graduation plans take wild turns at the most unexpected times, especially if you’re a junior or senior.

An animal ecology major changes to journalism. A journalism major takes his spotlight from the newspaper to the stage as a theater studies major. And a biology major changes to graphic design.

Some of these may sound like extraordinary jumps, but they are not if you don’t like the program you are currently in and are interested in something else.

But there are other factors for delaying graduation past four years (or three).

Some students pursue a double major. Usually these majors relate to each other in some way: agricultural business and public service administration, and journalism and political science.

On the other hand, there are the students who attempt to pursue two completely unrelated majors: Russian and engineering, and philosophy and chemistry.

Hmm. Could we argue the existence of an atom?

And last, but not least, there are the unfortunate, undecided students who keep on piling miscellaneous credits halfway through their college career before deciding on a major.

This is why we have fluff classes like Library 160 (Library Instruction), Theater 106 (Performing Arts) and P E 164 (Walking for Fitness) to fill up our undecided semesters.

Despite what degree plan you are pursuing, you will usually find one thing that holds true for everyone at some point in their college careers, especially freshmen.

You won’t always get the classes you want when it comes time to register.

It becomes easier each semester, but when it’s time to punch in those seven-digit class codes, be prepared to listen to that plain, unemotional voice.

The same voice that couldn’t care less if you got the classes you wanted. And the same voice that couldn’t care less when you started dialing obscure numbers in frustration.

“You have registered for registration number blah blah blah blah blah. Finally Taking This Class 206, meeting Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 5 to 10:30 p.m.”

Or you could end up listening to, “I’m sorry, Finally Taking This Class 206 is full. No other sections are available. You are retarded. Goodbye.”

---

Shuva Rahim is a junior in journalism and mass communication from Davenport.