<p>Years ago my cousin failed a class that was required for his major. He had to stay an extra semester to re-take the class. The annoying thing was that his graduation year was the LAST year for which that class was a requirement. The class that started a year after him was not required to take it. But the university wouldn’t budge - the rule for the year he started was the rule to graduate. Kind of the opposite of the OP’s problem.</p>
<p>I’ve also never heard of a college “requiring” graduation in 8 semesters. Not to question the OP’s statement, just that I’ve never heard of it before.</p>
<p>“The degree requirements must be completed within eight semesters, including any semesters for which a student receives credit while not in residence at Williams. Thus, semesters spent away on exchange or other approved programs at other colleges are included in the eight semesters.”</p>
<p>Could those “within four or six year” students have taken leaves for those other semesters? OP, I would ask the dean about the statistic.</p>
<p>I don’t know if it’s important for your son to graduate with his class - if so your son’s options may include dropping one of the courses he wanted to take next semester.</p>
<p>As I’ve written on another thread, my child, at another top 20 LAC, will not graduate on time and will be making up a class over the summer to fulfill degree requirements. The registrars office neglected to tell us that their audit showed the discrepancy until it was too late for additional classes to be taken.</p>
<p>Students who take more than four years to graduate have taken leaves of absence. They cannot attend for more than eight semesters. If my son has to drop a course to take this new requirement, he will not complete one of his majors. There is no point in him not graduating with his class. If he takes a semester off, he still has the same problem when he returns.</p>
<p>Having said that, I want to make it clear that Williams is a wonderful school. I can’t say enough good things about it. This situation is a small inconvenience in an incredibly exciting college experience. I can’t even imagine him at another school. </p>
<p>And, as I said a couple of times before, ownership for this problem belongs to him because all students were warned of the change.</p>
<p>Another option may be to take the course by correspondence or online at another college, or to take it at a nearby college. That’s what I did my senior semester when I was in similar shape. I had to go to the Dean or President or somebody <em>really</em> high up, I had I think 24 hours that semester and it nearly killed me, but I graduated.</p>
<p>Students are often surprised once they’re out in the real world by the marginal utility of a second major. Kids who study Renaissance history like to be able to put “Double major in statistics” or something on the resume to show that they’re not inumerate… but simply indicating a strong course load in quant subjects on the resume does the same thing as a double major with a lot less stress.</p>
<p>If he’s heading to grad school the second major is of even less importance.</p>
<p>If it were my kid this would be a no brainer. Graduate on time, good lesson learned on staying on top of things like deadlines, requirements, etc but no harm no foul.</p>