Do I have my numbers calculated correctly? College completion years rhetorical question

Student Lounge College Life
1

This forum is very huge and has all the topics, I need if I have a question props to the forum developers :slight_smile:

A lot of students have been telling me something different, about years in education. But I find it hard to believe since the numbers can add up in a sequence.

Do I have my numbers calculated correctly?

I started community college in August 2019, and I’ll get my Associate in General Studies degree in May 2021. That’s going to total 2 years. If you use a calendar calculator add Auguster 1 2019 till May 15, 2021, totaling two years.

If I want to pursue a BS degree that’s 4 years. After completion of a BS degree 2+4 that will total 6 years of education invested.

2

You should be able to find a college that will give you significant credit for the 2 years invested in your associates degree. This ‘should’ allow you to complete the BS degree in close to 2 years. Researching the transfer of credit is tedious but important to reduce your time to getting the BS.

3

I know but a lot of students I know think of the numbers the wrong way. I can finish a BS degree less then two years. That’s going to total 4 years of education combined with a AS and BS.

Most of the courses from my AS are higher courses I can transfer to my BS and will have less classes to take.

Thanks

4

A bachelors degree is a 4-year degree. It may take some more than 4 years to complete, but it is still a 4-year degree.

5

I know :slight_smile:
But I managed to finish 22 courses in 2 years once Spring 2021 will be over, for my community college. Every semester I took 6 courses to finish fast.

6

Is this truly a rhetorical question or do actually seek responses? If so, what are you actually asking. I’m a bit confused.

7

This is incorrect. If you get an associate’s degree and transfer to a 4-year school you should 2 of the 4 years completed. That leaves 2 years to finish for a total of 4 years in college.

Some transfer students end up doing 2.5 to 3 years at the 4 year school because they changed majors or some of the classes they took at the 2-year school don’t transfer. Those students may spend a total of 4.5 to 5 years at college. It’s really important to talk with your advisor at the community college to create a transfer plan so you can avoid surprises.

8

What if a person wants to take 2 courses per semester and get a job to work? The duration I estimated will take longer since not being a full-time student for a university and working. Being a part-time student will take much longer if I tried to take 1 course per semester.

9

A traditional full-time semester is 5 courses, so if you take fewer than that it will take you longer to finish. If your major requires 5 courses per semester for 8 semesters (4 years), that’s 40 courses. If you take 5 per semester (10/year) you can finish in 4 years. If you take 2 per semester (4 per year), it will take you 10 years.

1 Like
10

Different colleges have different “sizes” for courses when normalized to 120 semester credit hours for a bachelor’s degree, or 15 credits per semester to graduate in 8 semesters. Some systems that exist at semester schools:

  • Courses may be of different credit values, though 3, 4, or 5 credits tends to be most common.
  • All courses are equivalent to 3 credits, normal course load is 5 courses.
  • All courses are equivalent to 4 credits, normal course load is 4 courses.
  • All courses are equivalent to 5 credits, normal course load is 3 courses.
2 Likes