Thirteen years later, Lechner, 30, has finally decided to end what he called his "extended college adventure" and graduate May 19.,”
In 1994 O.J. Simpson was arrested, "ER" and "Friends" started airing on NBC and the White House launched its first Web site. It was also the year that Johnny Lechner started as a freshman at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
Thirteen years later, Lechner, 30, has finally decided to end what he called his "extended college adventure" and graduate May 19.
"I just feel like I've done everything there is to do in college," Lechner said.
Lechner said he will graduate the "most educated undergraduate in the world," with four majors, three minors and about 250 credits.
He said his career as an undergraduate has lasted so long because of his love of the college lifestyle.
"It's a laid back lifestyle," Lechner said. "I love the social side, but the academic side is awesome too. You're constantly improving yourself."
While his life for the past 13 years may have been fairly easygoing, it hasn't been cheap. Lechner said his education has cost "quite a bit of money," which he mostly paid as he went.
He said he has been paying double tuition since the UW Board of Regents passed a rule that requires any full time students with more than 165 credits do so, but would pay three times as much to stay a college student if he could.
Richard Brooks, Lechner's adviser and associate professor of religious studies at UW-Whitewater, said he tried several times to convince Lechner to graduate without success.
"He was always friendly about it," Brooks said. "He would say he would get around to it eventually but had his reasons for staying."
Brooks also said he thinks that graduation is crucial to Lechner's psychological development. He said Lechner's extended time as an undergraduate has caused him to not grow up, something he called "Peter Pan syndrome."
"I think it's dysfunctional in terms of emotional maturity," Brooks said. "It's unhealthy to continue beyond a certain point."
Lechner said people think of him as a slacker that parties all the time, but he in fact has not received a grade lower than 'B' in several years.
Ryan Berka, Lechner's roommate of two years, said he thinks that Lechner's decision to stay in school is smart.
"He's trying to figure out what he wants to do with his life, and in the meantime we have a lot of fun," Berka said. "I don't really want to graduate either, and you don't have to."
Berka is finishing his sixth year of college and intends to go on to his seventh next year. He said he plans on staying in college until it stops being fun.
Berka said he isn't sure why Lechner chose this year to graduate, but he said he hopes his roommate doesn't regret his decision to leave college.
"I'm second guessing it," Berka said. "I just hope he doesn't graduate and think, 'What the hell did I do that for?'"
Lechner said he doesn't have any definite plans post-graduation, but he has been offered several jobs.
He also said he has no regrets about his college experience.
"The road trips, toga parties and studying abroad have been fun, but that's not why I do it," Lechner said. "I just love college. There's a reason they call them the best years of your life."
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