By Monica Rosales |Contributing Writer|

The classic four-year graduation routine is becoming something of a myth, as a vast majority of college students are now taking an average of six years to finish their education.

As of fall 2016, CSUSB has 12 percent of students that manage to graduate within four years, and 55 percent for students within six, according to its fact and states page.

According to a study conducted by National Student Clearinghouse, those same statistics are shown for students all over the country.

The “super seniors” route seems to be the choice most often taken now, but not for the reasons some may believe.

“College graduation scared me at first when I was unsure of what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” said student Laura Rosales. [Confirm if this is about high school graduation, considering the following sentence.]

Students graduating high school may feel pressured, believing that if they do not graduate within a matter of four years, they are failures.

“I’m constantly trying to keep my grades up and my life in check, its a lot of stress that sometimes may push you to your limits and beyond,” said student Dustin Scroggins.

This  may contribute to students selecting majors unsuitable for them to begin with, ultimately leading them to change their decisions more than half way through their academic career for a suitable concentration.

“I was studying art but I didn’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on something that I did not feel was going to get me far. I knew English would and it would get me in touch with my passion for art,” said student Erica Zamora.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 80 percent of students change their major during their education, which can delay the expected graduation date.

The same study reports that change of college and universities can effect students just as much.

Approximately three percent of students transfer schools in order to obtain the major and degree they desire.

“I wanted to be part of the engineering program here, but they seem to lack in the amount of help and classes needed for students to achieve top knowledge in it, so now I’m thinking of transferring to Cal Poly Pomona for it,” said student Andre Thompson.

Meeting with guidance counselors regularly can provide students with beneficial insight into their academic path.

“I was taking what I could get [classes] and was told I needed to fit a certain amount of units in order to get an Associated Degree in my major but after all my time in school, I accidentally ended up with three Associates,” said transfer student Crystal Avila.

Enrolling in more classes than necessary is also a major setback for some students, However, students like Avila appreciated it because it taught her new skills and knowledge. Others may enroll in more classes to postpone graduation due to fear.

“It was always a little scary knowing that jobs are hard to find and that you might not find anything soon. Student loans don’t wait for you to be ready to pay them whenever you can,” said graduate student Daisy Hernandez.

Regardless of the reason, the increase of students extending their education past four-years is increasingly becoming more common.