super senior

n. a college student who takes more than four years to graduate. Subjects: English, Education

Etymological Note: Super as a prefix means “above, over, beyond.”

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Citations: 1986 Todd Webb Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) (May 16) “Will Rogers II Comedian Hamilton’s Jokes Hit Home”: Argus, who graduated from the University of Oklahoma in his ““super-senior” year of 1974, is the son of Argus Hamilton Jr. and Paula Hamilton. 1992 Daffy Duck Usenet: talk.politics.misc (Sept. 19) “Al Gore speaks to students on National Student Day”: Gore was introduced by a super senior at the University(fifth year student who couldn’t graduate because of lack of classes) who told the Bush/Quayle hecklers that they were at the wrong rally. 1995 Patriot-News (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) (Aug. 6) “Here’s What Some ‘Experts’ Have To Say On Surviving That Freshman Year” p. 2: Rebecca Logan will be a super-senior yes, that’s year number FIVE at Penn State University’s main campus in Happy Valley, where more than 37,000 undergrads tend to bleed blue and white. 1996 Pat Alex Record (New Jersey) (Sept. 3) “Today’s College Students Taking Longer To Graduate” p. A3: His friend, David Alvarez, is a fifth-year senior—a “super senior,” he says—at Montclair. 2006 Julia O'Malley Anchorage Daily News (Alaska) (Mar. 13) “Student organizes his own alternative fraternity”: John Wilcox, a fifth-year “super senior” at the University of Alaska Anchorage, has a shaggy haircut, ripped jeans and an eyebrow ring. He describes his spiritual persuasion as druid and wears sandals without socks exclusively. Even in the snow. *2006 Christine Cooney Jun’ai (Lawrenceville, Ga.) (Apr. 30) “Christine’s Pictures”: I say super senior as I was in my 5th year of college. 2006 Erin Stewart Deseret News (Salt Lake City, Utah) (May 1) “College students dropping out”: Often called “super seniors,” many students stay on long after their fourth year is up trying to get into classes, changing majors or just trying to squeeze out every last college experience.

Posted 2 May 06 | Permalink | Tell a Friend

Reader comments:

so what do you call a person who takes 10 years to graduate from a bachelor’s degree? I have a couple of super-dupper seniors… I knew they were special!

by Magnolia 21 Jun 06, 0111 GMT

i quit life

by PEANut 09 Feb 07, 0448 GMT