Bittersweet emotions regarding the fast approaching graduation will be the topic of discussion for weeks to come.

With the start of the spring semester and last semester’s finals over, Graduation 2015 hopefuls have learned whether they will be among the thousands of BC students to achieve commencement this academic year.

Graduation 2015 will be a triumphant victory for those of us, Bakersfield College students, who have gotten over the hurdle of prerequisites.

Although it is understood that certain classes require prerequisites, which are in place to ensure that students have entry-level skills, these classes most often seem to be the cause for students having to extend their time here at BC.

BC students, along with myself, have had to switch transfer dates to accommodate for this issue. The added classes that are mandatory according to the BC matriculation process can add up to two years for ones expected graduation date. These added classes are a result of the dreaded assessment test that all incoming BC students must take.

Most students taking the test are high school seniors. These students for the majority do not comprehend the importance that this test will have on the rest of their college path. This said; scores are mediocre at best and often low. Students end up starting much lower than their actual capability.

You are probably thinking this is an easy fix, but you would be wrong. The process tends to be tedious and time consuming to an already stretched student. Also, students are usually ignorant to the process to correct leaving their graduation date years.

For transferring students, the main focus and obstacle is reaching the math level for graduation. To reach the transfer level math needed to graduate with an AA/AS with the option to transfer students must meet four lower levels of competency requirements: Acdv 77, Math B50, Math B60, and the mammoth Math B70.

Another key discipline which can prolong graduation, English, has a series of competency requirement levels totaling five, including Engl B1A. The competency requirements do not end with math and english. There are four other areas that can lengthen the graduation date.

I am not blaming the extending of graduation of many BC students solely on prerequisites and competency requirements; there are many other factors that come in to play resulting time after time in extended graduation dates.

Okay, maybe a little — oh — and did I mention I am not bitter.

All jokes and venting aside, on behalf of all of us heartbroken and crushed students who will be continuing their stay here at BC with an extended graduation date, I want to wish all those who will take the walk during Graduation 2015 the best and an early congratulations on a job well done.