Andrew Clissold said he considers himself to be pretty lucky, but I consider myself to be even luckier.

I’ve been at Oakland less than he has, or Taylor Boddy has, or Kaitlyn Keith has. This is my third and final year — even after switching majors.

I came to OU straight from high school (2012) and began as a music major. I quickly discovered that it was not what I expected, and that I was most certainly not meant for that life. The summer before my second year I tried out a beginning journalism class and decided then to make the switch.

In April I’ll be walking the stage. While most other students are taking nearly double the time, I’m taking nearly half.

The key for me? Dual enrollment and snappy planning.

I received 60 college credits from St. Clair County Community College through a unique dual enrollment program. I spent ages 16, 17 and 18 in those taxing classes – calculus, chemistry, sociology, psychology, political science – and while I nearly went insane at the time, words cannot describe how grateful I now am that I was chosen for and participated in that program. All of my credits were put to good use.

I had also heard tales and experienced the horror of the first- and second-year advising center, so when I decided to make the change in majors, I sat myself down with both the online and print course catalogs and wrote out my own plan for graduation. A few things moved around, but ultimately, it helped me reach my goal much more efficiently.

This route isn’t available for everyone, unfortunately, and that is why I feel so lucky.

I won’t say anything on other students and whether it’s up to them to finish in four years. I won’t say anything on universities and any responsibilities they might have in helping students through. There’s a lot of factors, and I’m not sure I have a solid opinion on it; I simply wanted to share my own experience, which I consider to be unique enough, and relevant.