The character Van Wilder was famous for his seven-year career as a college student, but research shows that his time spent in higher education is not all that outrageous. As a senior about to have a rude awakening to the so-called "real-world," taking after Wilder and not graduating doesn't sound that bad. Sleeping in, eating pizza and still being under mom and dad's health insurance are all things I love and will soon miss. In 2002's "National Lampoon's Van Wilder," the leading character, Wilder, puts off graduation to live the good life as a college student for almost seven years. My first reaction to the movie was that one could go through college twice in that time frame, but the idea of a degree in four years is not always accurate. I feel fortunate that I will be able to graduate from Otterbein in four years. Of the Otterbein autumn class of 2002, 52.2 percent graduated four years later, with an additional 12 percent finishing within the six-year mark. Barbara Wharton, director of institutional effectiveness and planning, explained that though Otterbein tracks all graduation rates, the government is mostly concerned with the percentage of students graduating within six years. With how expensive college is, especially Otterbein, it is awful that some have to accumulate even more debt because finishing in four years just was not possible for them. The Ohio State University has a graduation rate of 73 percent for the same time span, according to Ohio State's registrar's Web site. Trying to get in contact with Ohio State's registrar's office wasn't an easy task either. "It is hard to compare the two schools," Wharton said, who previously worked at OSU. "When comparing schools you have to look at schools with similar incoming [student] profiles." This means schools that have incoming freshman classes that are similar in things such as standardized test scores and just overall number of students. Wharton further explained one major difference between the two schools is the types of majors both schools offer. Many of Ohio State's departments of engineering usually take up to five years, and if you miss one math class or have to drop a class and retake it, that could completely ruin your plan to graduate on time. I personally have dropped a class due to having a busy schedule and picked it up the next year with zero problems. I am happy that I have a little flexibility in my scheduling. There is another reason that soon-to-be Otterbein graduates should feel lucky. Assistant to registrar services, Laurie Mayhew, said she starts "emailing students once they hit 135 credits." Yes, they may fill up our inboxes, but by giving us graduation updates, it gives us the best chance of graduating in a timely matter. I bet Mr. Wilder wishes he would have attended Otterbein College. t&c;
REBEKAH CLEVENGER IS A SENIOR BROADCASTING AND JOURNALISM MAJOR AND STAFF WRITER FOR THE t&c.;
