<p>30 AP credits is a year’s worth IF they are in your major. It could happen but doesn’t usually.</p>
<p>My S had 11 AP courses under his belt when he graduated from HS. But as a computer science major, how many of them counted? probably 4–CS, Physics, Calculus, Chemistry. I think some of the humanities did, but they weren’t distributed properly. And he ended up in the honors program so had to take some honors humanities anyway. Or his AP credits allowed him to take the next level of a course (such as Music Theory II after Mus. Theory AP), which was helpful to his (music) minor, and a grad level Latin class, which convinced him he didn’t want to minor in classics.</p>
<p>The funny part was, with so many AP credits, he was often mistaken for an upperclassman by the various bureacracies. And he kept getting offers for graduation apparel & diploma frames…as a freshman!</p>
<p>Other son was more selective in the APs he took–all in math & science, so they all counted towards his major. He knew early on he wasn’t going to a LAC for History or English! Or languages, unless they were computer languages. :)</p>
<p>Truthfully, I’m so thankful that I only got placement from my APs. There are still probably 50 courses I would like to take here and that’s after taking the normal complete course load. Having the opportunity to take graduate courses because of APs was just the start of the advantage of staying four years anyway.</p>
<p>Thanks for clarifying. I was under the (apparently false) impression that credits were credits. I guess, at the very least, I’ll be a 2nd semester freshman going in.</p>
<p>At the MIT info session, someone asked about AP credits and finishing early. The info person wondered why anyone would want to spend only 3 years at MIT, after working so hard to get IN. He had a point there.</p>
<p>The idea that you stop learning or having life-changing experiences once you graduate college is ridiculous. I attended an ivy league school and my time there was NOT the best time of my life, not to say I didn’t have fun or learn a lot. Once I graduated, I had a great community of people my age in NYC, worked as a consultant in constantly changing assignments that stretched my mind, lived overseas, became a parent, and much more and I had the money and full independence I did not have in college. MIT, like all colleges, wants your tuition, room and board for all 4 years if they can get it. Whether to graduate in 3 years is a personal decision. There is no right or wrong answer.</p>
<p>My mom finished college in 3 years. She said she didn’t really plan it- she had taken some summer classes and had earned extra credits along the way. When she registered for her junior year, she realized that if she took 2-3 extra classes she could graduate a year early. So, it seemed silly not to. She didn’t feel it took anything away from time to have fun or do extra activities, etc. She didn’t have the money for study abroad anyhow.</p>
<p>For me personally if i get all my credits from AP classes I will have 31 credit hours. I am majoring in engineering my strategy is to either: a)just complete the remaining 97 credit hours over four years which would be about 12 hours a semester or b)complete a minor in chemistry or physics (or maybe both) which would still leave me with about 7 credit hours free. Yay for AP classes.</p>
<p>I so should not have read this thread - I’m beginning to harbor doubts about graduating early…</p>
<p>My plan is also to graduate from MIT with an SB in Biology (doesn’t that roll of the tongue nicely?) in three years - I think I know your son, rxhu123. I intend to go to graduate school, but I will definitely be taking a year off to concentrate on research, in addition to possibly traveling and doing other things classes wouldn’t allow time for. As for staying in college for a fourth year to explore more classes, I feel as if I will be able to exhaust all my interests in terms of undergraduate courses in 3 years, and I figure it unwise to look exclusively into graduate-level courses as a 4th-year undergrad.</p>
<p>I will also have attended MIT for free if I am enrolled for only 3 years, so I have to wonder if I’m really overlooking some major benefit to sticking around for a “normal” senior year.</p>
<p>MIT Biology needs a one-year Master’s program to facilitate my situation. :D</p>
<p>Here’s some information from a news article dated 1/9/09 in Northwestern University’s school paper concerning results of graduating early:</p>
<p>“We looked at rates of study abroad, independent study, magna cum laude (degrees), and saw that early graduates by and large were not shortchanging themselves,” Mills[associate provost for university enrollment] said. “We also looked at where early graduates enrolled at graduate schools and saw a lot of our [early] graduates were in really prestigious programs.”</p>
<p>Son could graduate in 3 years in math. However, he would have had to take the GRE, get prof reqs, apply to grad schools and forgo the honors degree- and be less prepared for grad school. He probably wouldn’t get into a grad program that would be best for him. Plus he doesn’t need to at 19. A year off wouldn’t enhance his chances or life. He’ll likely be involved in academics his entire life. He spent one summer working, one doing nothing (didn’t find a job and parents didn’t pressure him since he was young) and one told he had to do something- so he got some required credits out of the way locally. We have been receiving all of the “frame your diploma” and “buy your graduation announcement” mailers- they know to hit on the parents rather than the students and have lists of those with senior standing. Some students are “seniors” half of their undergrad career. Son will get to enjoy the full undergraduate 4 years- he can take grad level classes and be much more mature and competitive for grad school. If he were at one of the elite top schools he wouldn’t have the AP credits and would be taking 4 years as well.</p>
<p>On the other hand- we let him forge ahead at his pace in elementary school. He was an early reader- you can’t force a child to read early, nor can/should you hold them back. His preschool had a reading program- most kids were on book xxteen whereas son was bored with the method and made it through the “primer” and halfway through book one- the method was bad and he was bored with it. The other kids weren’t real readers, son tested at well above grade level. BTW- they also did addition/subtraction… by wrote and none of that stuck. There’s reading/math readiness (and math isn’t the same as doing addition et al). There are always pros and cons to every decision. For me all I have to do is remember the happy look he had when he could leave the boring class when he was in public school- he went from so-so to being enthusiastic. So much better than nonengagement in learning due to boredom. Knowing his parents’ social developments at various ages his being at the same age/grade levels wouldn’t have changed any of the nonacademic factors. Son also fit in well with his grade peers all throughout his precollege years.</p>
<p>AP courses/credits are good and bad. They are great for HS students to get standardized college level courses more rigorous than most HS classes would otherwise be. But they let the top students take watered down courses compared to the ones they would take in their college- presuming they attend one of the better colleges where the elementary courses are far more rigorous than the average college level AP ones. By taking more than the minimum required breadth courses in college those with AP credits get to explore many fields outside their major- yet another reason to take 4 instead of 3 to graduate.</p>
<p>Doing a semester abroad depends on the student and their major. For math/science types it takes them away from what they want to be doing. Likewise the reason son went to college after HS instead of doing something else for a year (as well as being underage prevents a person from participating in most opportunities). Remember that college is specialization- you can’t do it all. I did not notice any maturity lacks in my medical school classmates who were there after 3 instead of 4 years of undergrad. I did notice that they gave up the chance to take more varied undergrad courses and major in something other than the health sciences degree they obtained after their first year of medical school.</p>
<p>My vote is for 4 years of college where feasible. It comes at the cusp of adulthood- so many freedoms and no responsibilities to anyone except for yourself. Not being in graduate/professional schol or the work force one year later won’t matter even 10 years later. I do remember taking fewer credits as a senior in college (and working)- more time for honors thesis work and I ran out of courses I really wanted to take then. It was nice to have the time with friends and be less pressured. Once medical school, etc there was never the time. I, too, wish I could have had some of my current funds to use back then. At least I had time, if not money.</p>
<p>A final thought. If my son were to die tomorrow I would not have any regrets for his life’s pace. He had a full pre-grade school through HS experience and also is in college. He is working towards his future but also enjoying his present. Those of you contemplating rushing through school- don’t. Those for whom the pace puts you ahead of your age- great.</p>
<p>As long as you don’t have to rush it. I took 19/22 units in engineering to graduate early and I don’t recommend it but a lot of students start colleges with a lot of AP credits. You maybe sick of college in 3 years. You might want to save the money and study a Master degreee overseas. It still depends on the situation.</p>
<p>I don’t know if this has been mentioned since I only took a brief glance over all the posts, but in this economy, won’t families be more keen on paying for 1 less year of tuition? My family certainly brought it up. Of course, this is probably because my grandparents were extremely poor, and my dad only had enough money for 2.5 years before he’d have to starve and live on the streets, so he likely has a unique view on this. Nevertheless, saving a year’s tuition at an expensive school (Columbia for example) will be 60,000 in your pocket.</p>
<p>I’m about to graduate after my third year, and I certainly don’t think I rushed. I meandered quite a bit, dabbled in this or that major, tried hourly positions in various departments, and took at least 20 credit hours worth of classes that I didn’t have to. I did not study abroad, but easily could have during the summer if I had the money. I understand that a lot of students need a fourth year for reality to sink in; I’ve seen a lot of classmates morph from care-free party-hoppers at the end of Junior year to men and women concerned with finding jobs and grad school interviews at the beginning of Senior year. But honestly, that transition could have happened earlier for a lot of them, if they had been let out of the nest.</p>
<p>Most of the growing and maturing I’ve done since high school had nothing to do with school. People seem to have this concept of college as a magical little shell that you can put teenagers in and see adults emerge prepared for life. Really, the shelter holds back a lot of students. I’m sure one in three of my classmates doesn’t understand how long it would take them to earn the money for that “cell phone” (a.k.a. full-blown palm-sized computer) they’re browsing the web with in class. Many have lived in the dorms for the full four years, having their bathrooms scrubbed and food prepared by others. I also don’t quite understand why the time in high-school/college being pampered with clean bathrooms is considered the golden years that us young people should savor; freedom doesn’t necessarily translate to happiness. I think I’ll be much happier in a few years when I have some CD’s in the bank, a steady job that relies more on the completion of tasks than the memorization of every known vascular plant genera through the seed plants (which I seriously have to do this weekend), and enough extra cash to line my pockets that I can travel every couple of years.</p>
<p>I’m wondering whether it’s possible to graduate early in engineering… One poster said he didn’t recommend it, but has anyone else tried this? ENG degrees have SO many more required courses than BAs and BSs!</p>
<p>I’ve been trying to digest this thread, so I’m sorry if I missed it. But does anyone have any information on if schools offering 3- year degrees impact students who spend 4 years there? </p>
<p>In other words, is there any preferential treatment for students to get first preference to enroll in classes if they are part of an accelerated programs?</p>
<p>CLEP and DSST exams are pretty underrated ways of helping earn a bachelor’s degree in 3 years or even less. Oftentimes schools will give you 3 credits or more just for passing a test - tuition free I think.</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure there are almost 2000 colleges in the US and internationally that accept these exams in exchange for credit. They are $70 to take (Free for military).</p>
<p>CLEP and community college classes during the high school years helped my son graduate with a 4 year degree in 3 years. He was also able to incorporate a semester abroad into his school schedule.<br>
For him, the opportunity to graduate in 3 years means that he is able to apply for a graduate program at this school that is only offered every 2 years. It is being offered this year and he is hoping to be able to do this as this program offers a stipend and a full scholarship for the tuition.
I showed him this thread and he wondered if what everyone was talking about when they said that college was a wonderful time that should be prolonged as much a possible. While he has enjoyed the college experience, he’s not interested in prolonging any longer than necessary.</p>