<p>Is that possible to complete a bachelor's degree in Government in three years?</p>
<p>if you come in with credits, it is possible to finish at W&M in 3 years. I have friends who did it. You need 120 credits to graduate.</p>
<p>It is possible depending on whether or not you come in with any credit, how many courses you take each semester, whether or not you take any summer school classes, etc. Certainly students finish in 3 years although it’s pretty rare. Most students do decide to spend their entire four years here to complete their experience with their classmates and to make the most of the opportunities provided here in and out of class.</p>
<p>Thank you, soccerguy315 and W&M Admission. </p>
<p>As a parent, I do concern about the cost. My kid has already got 31 credits if we did not calculate wrongly. Who should we contact to get accurate information about this issue?</p>
<p>The registrar can answer questions about the degree requirements as well as AP/IB credits. Generally, the degree requires 120 credits, so coming in with 31 credits, you will only need 89 to graduate. The typical load of 15 credits/semester can get you the rest of the way in 3 years. You cannot normally take more than 18 credits/semester.</p>
<p>The challenge is not going to be reaching 120 credits in 3 years… the challenge is going to be fulfilling all of the major requirements and the GER’s in that compacted time frame. It will take a careful plan to execute, and there will be fewer opportunities to take non-major and non-GER courses, but it should be doable.</p>
<p>[William</a> & Mary - GER Courses](<a href=“http://www.wm.edu/as/undergraduate/advising/gercourses/index.php]William”>http://www.wm.edu/as/undergraduate/advising/gercourses/index.php)</p>
<p>If you look at this list, you’ll find that you can satisfy GER3, GER4B, and GER7 with government courses.</p>
<p>paret66, our contact in the Registrar’s Office says that you can have the College Board automatically send your AP exam scores to W&M. If the student includes their social security number on AP exam materials/registration it will make the matching process easier on our end and the credits awarded will be posted by late June/early July online. You can also consult the course catalog to see which AP exam scores receive credit and how much credit.</p>
<p>We’ve also contacted another colleague to get some more info on graduating in three years.</p>
<p>Our other colleague from Arts and Sciences mentioned that it is often difficult for a student to fulfill all General Education Requirements and major requirements in only 6 semesters. It can be done (often with the help of credit from high school and taking summer school courses) but it may have some negative consequences. Student may feel pressured to register for more credits per semester which can at times impact the GPA (5 courses/15 credits is normal so 18 credits/6 courses can be challenging) and also remove the ability of students to take many courses/electives that interest them. Finally, remember that students register with their social class so as even if the student has enough credits to be a junior they will register with sophomores and therefore may not get all of the courses they need to graduate early. Again it can be done but just isn’t overly encouraged.</p>
<p>It is possible to complete a bachelor’s in three years in various majors, depending on credits from other institutions and AP credits.</p>
<p>Additional concerns to keep in mind if you pursue a 3-year degree are:
- Weight of each grade at W&M may be heavier due to lower number of W&M credits overall in calculating GPA, thus it is more difficult to recover a strong GPA from one weak grade.
- During your 3-year undergraduate experience, pay careful attention to admission requirements for GRAD SCHOOL. It is not unusual for a grad school to not recognize AP classes, particularly in your major, in meeting prereqs for grad school admission. ie Boston University requires undergraduate biology for admission to med school and AP bio does not meet the requirement so although you don’t need high level biology to graduate in your major from W&M, you need to take higher level biology in undergrad to gain admission to BU med school. You will likely find similar circumstances with AP Gov/Pol & APUSH if you are interested in law schools as a gov undergrad major. Your major may have a recommended cycle of courses to complete in a very specific order as well – find out early in the game, before your freshman first semester is underway! There is a right time and a wrong time to declare your major, with respect to ability to register for certain courses as well.
- Be aware of “Fall only” or “Spring only” courses you will need to complete your major, along with paying careful attention to completing prereqs for classes you want.
- You will have less time to enjoy the overall experience of the undergraduate lifestyle, meeting new profs, having amazing adventures with the W&M community, studying abroad, and taking advantage of vast academic opportunities.
- Registration is a rocky experience at best, especially for underclassmen. Assume you will get none of the classes you think you’re going to get, and not in the timeslots you want them…forget that neat little schedule you dreamed up in advance of registration…it aint gonna happen
Know and understand GERs, prereqs and required courses for your major, and stick to the program even if it means you don’t get the days/timeslots you want, the engaging professors you dream of having, and dropping that one great course you got because you have to take a course for your major. - Student and parents should be prepared to change gears to 4-years without any emotional & financial trauma if you switch majors or are unsuccessful in maintaining a healthy GPA & emotional & physical well-being. Life can throw you unexpected curves while you’re busy making plans, and that’s OK!!</p>
<p>An additional consideration might be that if summer school is required to graduate early, there will be additional costs associated with that so the savings may not be as much as originally planned</p>
<p>Also, our data indicate that 3-5% of our students who enter W&M as freshmen graduate in less than 8 semesters (some of those may graduate in 6 some in 7).</p>