Super senior
Encyclopedia
- For the term "super senior" in financeFinance"Finance" is often defined simply as the management of money or “funds” management Modern finance, however, is a family of business activity that includes the origination, marketing, and management of cash and money surrogates through a variety of capital accounts, instruments, and markets created...
, see Senior debt#Super-senior status.
A super senior is a student in an American four-year educational institution such as a high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
or university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
who has been attending the institution for 5 or more years or has more than the usual number of credits required to graduate without achieving a diploma
Diploma
A diploma is a certificate or deed issued by an educational institution, such as a university, that testifies that the recipient has successfully completed a particular course of study or confers an academic degree. In countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia, the word diploma refers to...
or bachelors degree.
Causes
Applied to education in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, super-seniors usually have the minimum number of credits to graduate but do not for various reasons. These students will advance through the grades (freshman, sophomore, junior- senior) on schedule and are classified as a "senior" for two or more years.
Redshirt student-athlete
A student-athlete may have been made a redshirtRedshirt (college sports)
Redshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility...
their freshman year, which delays their four year eligibility for competition in the NCAA till their sophomore year. As a result, they will still be eligible the year after their senior year and may stay in college to continue competition.
Multiple degrees
Students who intend to complete two or more degrees at the same time are often required to earn approximately 140-150 credits to receive their degrees, rather than the normal 120. It is often in the student's best interest to earn all desired/required undergraduate degrees at the same time as financial aid is more readily available to undergraduates than to graduates returning for additional undergraduate degrees. They could also use summer school sessions as well.Change of majors
Students may choose to change majors after they are well advanced in their schooling. These students often have enough general education credits and overall credits to graduate but do not have their major-specific credits completed.Leave of absence
Students may take a leave of absence from their university for the difficult circumstances described below, or to pursue other endeavors, such as living, working, or studying abroad, tending to a fledgling business, or pursuing opportunities in their chosen career. Stanford UniversityStanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in particular is known for its sizable constituency of fifth-year (and sometimes even sixth-year) seniors who took time off to volunteer or work overseas. Many of Stanford's more famous alumni have taken a leave of absence and never returned to the school. Another school well-known in this regard is Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
, the flagship school of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Many male BYU students, both at the main campus in Utah and at its branch campuses in Hawaii and Idaho
Brigham Young University–Idaho
Brigham Young University–Idaho is a private university located in Rexburg, Idaho. Founded in 1888, the university is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and transitioned from a junior college to a four-year institution in 2001, known for the greater part of its...
, take two years off during their studies to go on LDS missions
Missionary (LDS Church)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
. (While women can also serve on missions, they are not allowed to do so until age 21, by which time most traditional students will be close to completing their degrees.)
Poor choice of classes
Super-seniors often include students who chose their classes without considering graduation requirements. They are often missing important requirements for their major or core/general education.Music majors
For music majors, participation in music ensembles is an obvious requirement over the course of their college career. At many colleges, large ensembles (full choir, concert/marching/jazz band, and/or symphony orchestra) rehearse four hours a week for only one credit (typically, the number of credits correspond to hours spent in class per week). This is to encourage non-music majors to be in the ensembles; however, it is not unusual for music majors to carry 8 classes in a semester for a normal credit load of 15-16 credits.Low grades
In many schools, the grade of "D" is enough to receive credit for a class, but not high enough to count towards the student's major or core/general education requirements. A student who receives too many D grades may have enough credits to graduate but not good enough grades.Desire to remain in school
Some super-seniors have enough credits and requirements to graduate, but do not apply for graduation. In most cases, universities do not automatically grant graduation without application, and as long as tuition is paid, students are not forced to leave the school. This is normally not applicable to high school.Some super-seniors may be in their fifth or later year in the school but do not have enough credits to graduate. These students appear on paper as juniors or (simple) seniors and do not have enough credits to graduate with their peers.
Some super-seniors take a leave of absence or extra majors on purpose to remain in school for as long as possible.
Difficult or multiple majors
Students in high-stress majors such as mathematicsMathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
or those who take a difficult double-major (within the same degree) may choose to take a minimum number of classes (two, three, or four depending on the number of credits offered per class) at one time in order to achieve higher grades or superior retention.
Difficult circumstances
Occasionally a student becomes ill or is injured in mid-semester and cannot complete/pass the classes he/she has begun. If this occurs after the drop-deadline, the school may make a judgment as to whether to count the grades against him/her or drop the student from the semester. In either case, the student would need an additional semester to graduate.Students may have other difficulties that prevent them from completing the graduation requirements in the traditional four years, such as raising a child or being required to work full time. Such students may only attend classes on a part-time basis, taking over a decade to complete a bachelor's degree.
Failing grades
Occasionally a student may keep his or her grade point average high enough to remain in school but still fail enough classes that they do not have enough credits to graduate at the end of his or her four years.Take Five Scholars Program
At the University of RochesterUniversity of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...
, students are given the unique opportunity to partake in the Take Five Scholars Program. In this program, the student receives a fifth year, or one additional semester, tuition free while the student studies a subject outside of their major. The student has to apply for this program before their eighth semester.
Agnes Scott College
Agnes Scott College
Agnes Scott College is a private undergraduate college in the United States. Agnes Scott's campus lies in downtown Decatur, Georgia, nestled inside the perimeter of the bustling metro-Atlanta area....
also offers a Fifth Year program, tuition-free. It is typically used to take courses that interest them but they could not take during their first four years, to finish a second major, or to take classes that are prerequisites for a graduate program they wish to pursue.
Community College Transfers
Many times when a student transfers to a 4-year school after completing 2 years at a community collegeCommunity college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries.-Australia:Community colleges carry on the tradition of adult education, which was established in Australia around mid 19th century when evening classes were held to help adults...
not all credits transfer over and the student may have to attend 3 Years at the 4-year university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
or college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
for a total of 5 years.
Cooperative Education
Many colleges and universities offer a Cooperative EducationCooperative education
Cooperative education is a structured method of combining classroom-based education with practical work experience. A cooperative education experience, commonly known as a "co-op", provides academic credit for structured job experience...
program. In this program, a student has the opportunity to integrate work experience into his/her education through full-time employment during one or more semesters. Generally, a student will not enroll in any courses during the semester(s) of his/her full-time employment. Therefore, a student participating in Cooperative Education will require more than four years to complete his/her studies.
College or university
Some universities reduce or withdraw state funding after a student's fifth year. In addition, parents who are paying for their children's education and living expenses may lose patience and cut their student's funding. Fifth year students are more common as students choose to take a slow pace on a difficult course of study or take multiple majors or degrees.High school
Public high schools may allow a fifth year super-senior who does not have enough credits to graduate to continue attending their regular school, though students older than age 19 are usually required to attend "continuation school" meant for adults who have not graduated with a high school degree. Students forced into continuation school often choose to drop-out or take the GED.Special education
In the United States, federal law (ADAAmericans with Disabilities Act of 1990
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is a law that was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1990. It was signed into law on July 26, 1990, by President George H. W. Bush, and later amended with changes effective January 1, 2009....
) states that public (state) schools are required to keep special-needs students in regular public schools (or a special education
Special education
Special education is the education of students with special needs in a way that addresses the students' individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials,...
school if the student's IEP
Individualized Education Program
In the United States an Individualized Education Program, commonly referred to as an IEP, is mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act...
warrants it) until they graduate from that school or reach the age of 22.