<p>
[quote]
On a personal note, I would never, ever recommend to anyone to seek an early graduation from any college or university.
[/quote]
xiggi, I have always felt the same way.</p>
<p>But I have to admit, in today's economy and with today's tuition costs, I am NOT discouraging my step-grandS from finishing a semester early at his in-state flagship. I can't believe he is able to do it, as he has no history of being a dedicated student and did not go to a great hs, AND he is in Engineering. But he says he will.</p>
<p>To be honest, we are looking forward to one fewer tuition payment, even though my heart would have directed him to stay and sample courses in other fields.</p>
<p>Don't know if our son could have graduated in 3 years based on credits. I do know that he could not have graduated in 3 based on course sequencing in mech eng. He did double major in 4 years and could have gotten a MS in 5. Spend the time doing what is important: networking and getting to know professors, especially if phD is in the future.</p>
<p>My statistics were off. Here is an article from 2002, comparing Harvard and Princeton. Harvard does not have a distributional requirement, making it much easier than P to obtain AS. But I recall reading that even with the percentage of eligible students dropping fro 50 to 30%, there would still be more eligible students than would make use of AS. </p>
<p>I have not read the thread yet, but we ran into two different situations, at one big flagship school D could not use any AP credit for courses required by her major, pretty much knocking out calc/bio/chem/physics!</p>
<p>Another DD has almost two years worth of CC credits earned at HS age, but not on a HS transcript, so she may finish early. She is going to attend a private and even with merit money it is more expensive by far than a public. Doing it in two years may be the same as a state school for four years. We will have to see how it all goes in terms of whether she ought to finish early or not; she wants a private and this is the smartest financial way to go, but if money were not an object i would have her stay four years. I am hoping that other $ awards may come her way allowing her to at least stay one extra year, but it will all come down to money and the wisest long term choice when the time comes to decide. If she does stay on, she would either explore a 2nd BA or a grad degree.</p>
<p>To throw my voice in as well, yes, it completely depends on the school. I graduated HS with 11 APs (all 4s and 5s), and will only be getting credit for 4 of them, I believe.</p>
<p>We know many folks at our flagship who can graduate in three years; the school is generous with APs and in some majors, they are able to test out of many courses. (My S would have entered there at or close to junior status.) However, if these kids are getting major scholarship money, they stay for the full four years and pick up a second major or get a graduate degree.</p>
<p>DH graduated from an Ivy with a double major in 3.5 years, with only 3 AP exams. Did not do summer school or double up on courses.</p>
<p>S1 can probably graduate with a MS in four years from Chicago. Whether that is a good idea is another story; at this stage he intends to take some grad courses in his major while in UG, but wants to put more time into taking advantage of the other great classes Chicago offers while he has the chance. He is also young -- at this point he and we are not in any hurry to accelerate further.</p>
<p>This is several decades ago, of course, but I graduated from Yale in three years, solely by using AP credits, and then went on to Harvard Law School.</p>
<p>I wanted to save my parents money, and, for reasons I can't quite remember at this point, I thought I was in a big hurry to finish college and get on with my life.</p>
<p>I regretted my decision almost immediately (I spent many weekends my first year of law school going down to New Haven to visit my friends who were seniors there), and I've wished ever since that I'd stayed in college the extra year. </p>
<p>Of course, with the cost of a year of college now probably 10 times what it was then, if I were faced with the same decision in today's world, I might do the same thing all over again.</p>
<p>From what I've been able to figure out, there's a limit to how many AP credits my son would be allowed to use at Chicago. Even with that limit, he could probably graduate at least a term early if he wants to. I'm discouraging that option. I think it makes more sense to spread the credits out -- if he uses them at all -- to reduce his course load if he's taking a number of tough courses and thinks he needs to reduce the pressure on himself in any given term. </p>
<p>His feeling now, though, is that he doesn't want to use his credits that way at all (as opposed to using them, to the extent possible, to place out of, say, an introductory Spanish course). He's so excited by all the wonderful courses he wants to take that he can't imagine foregoing the opportunity to take as many courses as possible. Once reality hits, of course, he may change his mind.</p>
<p>As mentioned before, it all depends on how many credits a college gives for AP classes. My D graduated in 3 years from a Virginia university- she went in with 14 credits, and since her major was archeology, she participated in a dig during the summer which provided lots of credit, so she was able to finish in 3 years. It actually wasn't that much of a savings for us (after paying summer tuition and archeology expenses). We tried to talk her into staying for the full 4 years (add a minor to her major) but she rejected this idea. Oh well, she's got to chart her own path.</p>
<p>DADII:
Son is currently at U Miami.
He took 13 AP's plus 1 college course in high school.
Miami accepted 12 of the AP's (one was worth 2 courses, I believe) plus the college class (4 credits there.) In all, he went in with 45 credits. His roommate had about 50 credits.
My son was able to go in freshman year (last fall) and expect to finish in 2 1/2 years. He will be starting his sophomore year this August and will finish his major in December and at the same time start second major this fall. If he wasn't double majoring ( and I have no clue how long this will take) he could be out in 2 1/2 years without a problem. He decided to study abroad at some point too. So like the other posters here, 2 1/2 to 3 or more year is possible, but once the kids get to school and are happy they have less of a rush to get out.
Grad school may play a part in how long he ultimately stays in Miami.
Just an FYI- many PhD programs are covered in part or full depending on the major depending on what your son is interested in studying.
If you go on the UM thread on CC, I posted a link to UM's scholarship information which may or may not help you but at least will guide you in terms of merit aid. Tulane also gives generous merit aid, U Pitt etc. You can always check any schools website for their AP credit information.</p>
<p>Dad II- do not consider yourself low income just because you chose to live in a wealthy neighborhood/area. Stop trying to compare yourself to others around you, it is unworthy of you. A wealth of intelligence and education counts more to some of us than money and ostentatious lifestyles. Therefore, do not try to control your children's college choices by how little you can spend on them, but rather help them make the best academic/social, ie best fit, choices. </p>
<p>Many students will enter with plenty of AP credits that count for graduation and give them the edge for registration but will take 4 years to maximize the university experience and/or because their chosen major requires sequential courses that need all four years. Plan on your child spending 4 years at a school THEY choose as a best fit, do not steer them to the immediate economic best choice. Rushing through college to save a bit of money now when they likely can pay off any loans later in life is shortchanging them.</p>
<p>Look first at academic and interest best fits WITH your child, then look at the finances. You may tell them that they may only apply to X schools to save the application fee money, that will force them to be serious about choosing among schools- it can make a difference if 10, not 50, app fees are paid. Once accepted and financial packages are known decisions can be made as to whether school X is worth going into more debt than school Y or Z.</p>
<p>Once your child enters college they, not you, are responsible for choosing their classes. For example, they end up at State U because it fits them and makes a vast difference in costs at Private U. They may decide to take the beginning courses for Honors instead of using AP credits to take more advanced regular classes- learning as much in the subject as they would have at Private U but needing 4 years to graduate. They will be better prepared for work or grad school in the process. You can be "penny wise and pound foolish" by encouraging them to rush through school or to choose the least cost route.</p>
<p>You seem to be obsessing about finances. Stop, rethink your priorities. I presume your desire for your children to be successful includes personal happiness as well as financial success. You can increase or decrease the stress of the college application process by vast amounts with your approach to them. Let your child choose reach, match and safety schools based on THEIR criteria. Give your advice (not commands), such as including financial safeties in the choices. Encourage them to investigate schools you think may suit them that they haven't heard of. Be prepared for schools you disagree about- what is a good fit in your eyes may not be a good fit for them for reasons you don't know. Your job is to offer suggestions. Stop micromanaging.</p>
<p>Our son came into his freshmen year with a year of college credits so he could graduate in three years and that's the current plan. But the course scheduling has to work out for his major courses and that's something that we can't predict right now. He could take a summer course at maybe Boston University if there's a need. Other options are a four-year masters degree or going through all four years and studying other things. Basically he has a lot of options.</p>
<p>At work, we hired a kid that finished MIT in two or two and a half years. Either that or he started when he was 16.</p>
<p>re post #50
Yes, DADII makes a decent salary, but you have no knowledge of his bank acct, 529, retirement accounts, mortgage, etc..... While college is the best investment and gift you can give your child, it is foolish to disregard your own finances.<br>
I don't think DADII is going to force his child to attend a school just for financial reasons, but like many CCers, it is nice to have the choice of school and tuition. Should we all give up our retirement money or have our students take student loans if they don't have to? Those students with higher income parents will not get the "grants" which don't have to be repaid.
It is smart of DADII and others to ask these great questions. I did not get the idea from the OP that he is looking for a 4th tier school for a top tier child just to get AP credits and can graduate early.</p>
<p>Something I ran into when my son (#1) went to graduate from the University of Rochester early: the school wanted a full 4 years of tuition, no matter how early you graduated!!!! Here is a quote from the school's website:</p>
<p>***What if I want to graduate early? What is the eight-semester rule?</p>
<p>The University's eight-semester tuition regulation states that a student must pay for the equivalent of eight semesters of tuition.<a href="The%20University%20expects%20a%20student%20who%20enters%20as%20a%20first-semester%20freshman%20to%20be%20enrolled%20for%20eight%20semesters,%20and%20a%20transfer%20student%20to%20be%20enrolled%20for%20as%20many%20semesters%20as%20the%20initial%20classification%20would%20indicate.">/b</a> Advanced Placement credit and courses transferred to the student's record from other institutions may be used toward fulfillment of this regulation. However, credits in excess of 16 per semester that are used for the purpose of accelerated graduation or early completion of graduation requirements must be paid for at the tuition rate in effect at the time the credits were taken. Students thinking of graduating early are encouraged to talk to an adviser in Academic Support.*</p>
<p>I think it's important to factor in the next step:</p>
<p>My brother graduated in 3 years. He was in a new field, one for which there weren't academic programs and he was ready to start working in it--it was a better education than continuing in school.</p>
<p>I had the credits to graduate in 3 years, but I planned to go on to grad school in my field. I stayed for the 4th year, figuring that it would improve my chances for admissions and fellowships in grad school. And I'm sure it did. My dad grumbled but paid the bill. Like DadII, he worried about money but not to the point of sacrificing education.</p>
<p>My reply is based on his other threads- there is a common theme in them. Note finances are to be considered, but never should be the only consideration. Combine this thread with others to see the whole picture and you will understand my "tough love" approach. I know from experience how cutting corners affects the quality of an education- I have regrets about books not purchased due to taking out less in loans, money I now have. BTW, there are 1st tier public schools. Examine my thread more closely, there are no specifics regarding their expenditures, the overall game plan is good for any income. I can picture this parent ruining his child's exploration phase of the college selection process by over researching and not letting his child reach the same conclusions themselves. Right now I suspect he is inwardly panicking at the costs of a college education and trying to find all ways to reduce the financial impact. He needs to relax and realize the better approach is to research colleges first for their merits, then consider finances, dropping the most expensive/least affordable from the initial list. He also needs to prioritize the quality of the education, rushing through is not necessarily the best route. His job is to tell his child they have X dollars for college expenses and to offer suggestions, not determine the details, of how that money is spent. He should not be pressuring his child to cut short the academic experiences to save money now, as I fear he may do.</p>
<p>Our family is also interested in this question. D1 graduated with 14 APs and easily qualifies for advanced standing at Harvard. That would mean she could potentially finish her undergrad degree in three years or complete a masters degree in four years. This doesn't seem like a slam dunk to us, however, since she has really no idea how difficult the coursework will be. She may find that she can't manage very many courses per semester, in which case she may take the full four years to simply finish the undergrad degree and be grateful that her APs gave her the luxury of a relatively gentle schedule. At Harvard, it appears that the student does not formally apply for advanced standing until their sophomore year. Is it the same at Stanford? We are just sort of letting this question simmer as she gets a feel of how it goes this fall.</p>
<p>I totally understand the financial aspect to this issue. We are a full freight family with an income putting us into this category only recently so we don't have a lot of money stockpiled for college. Also, my DH who is our big earner is in an industry in constant layoff mode. We are pretty nervous. Another will be starting college four years from now.</p>
<p>So I fully understand your interest in the possibility of cutting a fourth of the bill for undergrad. It is not trivial.</p>
<p>Are you kidding? There was a kid from Virginia who attended Thomas Jefferson High School and University of Virginia. He graduated in one year! I am not kidding! I don't know how many AP credits he came in with, 90 or so. I think he may have the record.</p>
<p>mammall - As numerous posters have indicated, academically it isn't all that hard IF you choose the right school. D1 had enough credits to graduate in three years --- combination of AP credits, 18 credits per semester, good planning, and a Hurricane Katrina anomaly. D2 attends an OOS public that uses AP courses for placement only. (Bummer.) There ARE issues beyond academics of course. Graduate in three years and you won't share Commencement with those your fellow Freshman year with, for example.</p>