The university has a case of senioritis, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, said Larry Dietz.

Dietz, vice chancellor for student affairs, said it has become more common for students to earn their bachelor’s degrees on a five-year plan.

This trend is reflected by the senior class at SIUC, which is the largest at the university, he said. Of 15,939 undergraduate students, 6,201 are seniors – nearly double the numbers of other undergraduate classes, according to university records.

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Dietz said the discrepancy comes from students who might not declare a major until later in their education, or change majors.

“There is no one way to experience college,” Dietz said. “There are people who know exactly what they want to do, people who have an idea of what they want and people who come in with no idea of what they want.”

Tobi Talabi said switching majors is not the only reason seniors decide to stay longer.

Talabi, a senior from Darien studying psychology, said many seniors in the psychology program are afraid to graduate because there are not many opportunities in that field for people with only bachelor degrees.

He said he is scheduled to graduate this May and will attend medical school so he can build on his degree.

“A lot of people would rather stay in school and improve their GPA instead of chancing it with their degree in the real world,” Talabi said. “I would be hesitant to graduate if I was not going to med school.”

Psychology is part of one of the largest colleges on campus as 1,214 seniors are enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts.

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While some students may be nervous to leave college, others just want to take time and enjoy the full experience.

Bill True, a sophomore from Orland Park studying art education, said he has no plans to graduate in four years because he wants to study abroad. He said he did not think switching majors or fear of finding a job were the main reasons for seniors staying.

“I think people like to party, but that’s OK because that’s part of college,” True said. “I planned to stay more than four years, but I could see why it would be important to finish in four years because of the economy.”

For students who want to get out in four years, Jamie Conley-Holt said the career services department is the place to go.

Holt said not everyone who switches majors utilizes the office and confusion about credits can occur. She said transfer students are often in limbo and can come in with enough credits to be considered seniors, but could still be in junior standing within their majors.

The university has 25 seniors still in pre-major standing and an additional 328 who transferred.

Andrew Gasper, a senior from Atlanta studying economics, said he has had no problems staying on track as a transfer student and non-traditional student. Gasper, 27, said he is scheduled to graduate this spring even though he has been in college for three years. Gasper said he never had to take more than 16 credit hours.

“People have to decide what fits them. There is nothing wrong with taking more than four years,” Gasper said. “A lot of people try to take 20 credit hours and cram everything into one semester and miss opportunities to grow.”

Dietz said he agrees students should learn at their own paces.

“Some of our smartest students are fifth-year seniors or undecided,” Dietz said. “Sometimes a student has so many options they need to take time to decide.”

Jeff Engelhardt can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 268 or [email protected].