<p>I really would like to finish up in 3 years if possible. Or at least end a semester early.</p>
<p>If I end up being accepted to my first choice, I know that I will barely be able to afford to attend. In an effort to save some money, I would try as hard as possible to use all my AP credits PLUS take more credits than needed per semester to graduate 1 semester early. It saves money, and besides, I’ve always been a speedy student. I don’t like “taking my time” - it’s just not in my nature.</p>
<p>As a 17 year old, I have already interned in my state’s government and am planning on taking 2-3 more internships/jobs for myself this summer. Some may view this as rushing or hurrying - for me, it’s just plain natural.</p>
<p>However I know that I’m only 17 - perhaps I will regret “hurrying along”… as most people say, hindsight is 20/20! But on the other hand, if I took my time and forced myself to slow down and enjoy the view, maybe I would regret going against my nature.</p>
<p>I graduated college after three years, when I was 19. At first, I thought it was a great idea. I graduated law school at 22 and was making a good living while my peers were just getting their undergraduate degree. Flash forward a decade and I thought, what was the rush? Now, three decades later I realize it was a mistake and I should have more fully enjoyed and taken part in the college experience. You’ll be out for a lot longer than you’re in, so why rush? Study abroad or do an internship or take some strange classes you’d never consider, but give some thought to taking the full four years. At least, wait until Sophomore year (some schools let you wait till Junior) before you make a final decision.</p>
<p>^ But 19 is very young. I’d be going to college at 18, and then graduating at 21 (22 if I only take off 1 semester) or so. I’d work, and then go to law school… not sure about that part. I don’t want to make that decision yet! Who knows how I’ll feel at that time.</p>
<p>Part of the reason I want to graduate early is also because I’m thinking of doing Americorps.</p>
<p>And I’ll definitely be doing internships… thanks for your wisdom, BurnThis, but I still feel that my situation is a bit different than yours.</p>
<p>I did college in 3 years and, because my birthday is in August, finished when I was 20 years old.</p>
<p>I had to do it quickly, since my family could not afford to send me and my sister together for four years–but looking back, graduating at 20, I was not prepared to enter the workforce in the proper way. I was lucky in that I ended up with a great employer who had gone to Purdue and started his own company and ended up being a fantastic mentor–and who helped me get into graduate school at UCLA–and into a great long-term career. </p>
<p>But, to be blunt, I was lucky–and getting such a mentor is definitely the exception, not the norm. Students (and anybody) graduating at such a young age definitely needs advisors who can tell them what they should be doing with their life–and with helping them make choices about career planning, finances, marriage/dating, and with many other things.</p>
<p>I’m trying to graduate in 3 years because I attend one of those $50,000 per year colleges. By the end of this semester, I will have completed 128 credits, with a major and minor.</p>
<p>Pros: Graduating early saves so much money. I had plenty of time to join a business fraternity, study abroad for a semester in Europe, and take the elective classes I wanted.</p>
<p>My initial reason for wanting to graduate early was not financial, however. The social and academic atmosphere at my college just wasn’t a good fit for me. I had been wanting to transfer since freshman year, but my parents were against the idea. My current program pretty much neglects the traditional liberal arts core anyway, so I don’t feel the need to stay an additional year. I think most people overestimate how meaningful and enjoyable the typical college experience is for everyone. Though mine was certainly meaningful and memorable, there are countless all-nighters and final exam cram sessions that I would not want to relive. At this very moment, I have 3 papers due on Thursday; my classmates all agree that the 3 papers seem more like busy-work and are completely unrelated to enhancing our learning or class experiences.</p>
<p>Cons: I don’t know what I’m supposed to do after graduation, since I finalized this decision the middle of my junior year (pretty much several weeks ago). Also, even my closest of friends will never understand my decision to graduate early. It makes me a bit sad to realize I won’t be graduating (and celebrating graduation) with my friends whom I’ve shared so many experiences with.</p>
<p>Burn This – there’s no reason a person cannot graduate at a 3 year pace (that is, pay for classes for six semesters or the equivalent nine quarters), and still partake in the college experience for four full years. </p>
<p>One would simply not enroll for a total of two semesters, or three quarters, over the four year period. It would make things certainly hot and cold in terms of pace and schedule, but it would accomplish the goal of only paying for six semesters/nine quarters tuition and fees.</p>
<p>I’m doing it in two years - graduating at age 19… and I think it is the right decision… paying per credit as an out-of-state student so I don’t really save on the tuition but I certainly save on living expenses…
I think most kids “grow up” in college but if you’ve lived alone for two years already I think you’re more resilient and hey it’s not that much extra work… 2 classes more… I can’t afford study abroad so it’s the best thing to graduate early then work abroad - easy with a EU passport… I’m kinda annoyed by all these education institutions and wanting to take some responsibility, tired of internship jobs for a few dollars per hour, tired of turning every dollar around twice… and you can always do another degree, go to grad school, take time off if you think you lack life experience… i would also say that not just college experience counts as life experience</p>
<p>I’ve thought about it in another way: much time in college is spent partying, getting drunk or wasted in some other way. Okay, if you need to do that, why pay $40K to do that? Think how many kegs of beer that kind of money would buy! </p>
<p>Why not take a gap year after high school specifically to party, then go to college and finish in 3 years.</p>
<p>My older daughter ended up finishing in 4 years, but she could have done it in three if she had taken two summers. She therefore graduated at 21 (almost 22). Personally, I think that she seemed very young to be entering the work force and could have used more life experience. And she was very stressed out the first two years, while she crammed in so many classes.</p>
<p>what if your state univ honors program offered a masters in 4 yr program? doesn’t that make sense? then you stay for the 4 yrs and can graduate with your class - just receive both degrees at once.</p>
<p>Graduated in 3 years 30 years ago with some placement credits and one summer session. That was in order to save on the mere $4,500-5,000 total cost!</p>
<p>No regrets but then I did spend 6 years in graduate school after that so had lots of time to enjoy being on a college campus…</p>
<p>If you are going to go on to graduage or professional school I think there is little downside to graduating early if it doesn’t hurt your grades, it did mine slighly. If you are going into the workforce and can afford to stay to do more advanced work in your major and take more electives I think that is the way to go.</p>
<p>Ughh who would want to finish college in three years? If someone were to add on an ADDITIONAL year of college, I wouldn’t complain. College is so much fun and you only live once!</p>
<p>amplifiar842 – yeah, who wouldn’t want to spend another year in college (especially in less rigorous schools that are not that different from summer camps) if some sucker is willing to pay for it?</p>
<p>No one usually skips a grade then graduates early (i.e., by skipping another grade). You skip however far you should be skipping in one fell swoop. In any case, sans for the second skip, that’s probably going to be my scenario. If the date works out, I might even be graduating on my 20th birthday!</p>
<p>I was planning on finishing in 3 years. But everyone seems to have the opinion that life ends when you get out of college, and that everything after savors of anticlimax.</p>
<p>I honest to god hope this isn’t true.</p>
<p>There was some good advice on this thread, i.e. non-june grads have less competition for jobs and interships, and I can study abroad if I finish early. I was depressed when I started reading it, because it made me doubt a decision I was so sure about…</p>
<p>christine1726-You must not have read all the posts. Many people here thought graduating early was the right thing to do for them. Life does not end when you graduate and college is not the “best time of your life.” I loved the time in my twenties when I was learning new things at work, making enough money to enjoy all that city life has to offer and had a great circle of friends to enjoy it with.</p>
<p>yeah, this is pretty much how i feel about caltech
if i spend <4 years here i’ll seriously feel like i’m missing out</p>
<p>and plus you have to work your butt off,
my friend is double-majoring in three years
and he literally has to work 70 hours a week</p>
<p>if i could spend 10 years here i would…
but if i was back at FAU
getting a degree in three years might be a fun challenge
i guess it depends on how much you like the college :p</p>
In any case, sans for the second skip, that’s probably going to be my scenario. If the date works out, I might even be graduating on my 20th birthday!</p>