<p>Assuming a student graduates with a high enough gpa to qualify for the fifth year for free, must they proceed directly to that fifth year, or can they go into the work force for a couple of years (teaching, for example), and then return for their Masters for free?</p>
<p>I found out the answer to this question: the student must proceed immediately into the fifth year to qualify for the program. </p>
<p>New question: The GPA for students to qualify for the fifth year free program is a 3.4. Are lots of students choosing Clark because of this attractive option frustrated in not achieving this GPA and not qualifying for the program? Any experiences out there for how many or few do qualify, and whether many students find the attractiveness of attending Clark because of this program illusory because they ended up with a GPA too low to qualify?</p>
<p>Clark is fabulous. I highly recommend it. </p>
<p>It is not that difficult to pull a 3.4. My GPA is a 3.84. Attend nearly every class session, do most of the required reading, and complete all assignments with significant effort. If you have a legitimate extenuating circumstance that may affect your ability to complete an assignment on time, talk to the professor beforehand. Most students ask for extensions at one point or another. If you’re having trouble with course load, withdraw from a class and make it up during the summer (or take a fifth class the following semester) if necessary. Note: there is no financial aid during the summer, courses are few, and taking 5 courses is rough. The main challenge of getting into fifth year is tracking deadlines and maintaining not just cumulative GPA, but sophomore and junior cumulative, as well as final undergrad semester GPA. A final note- don’t plan so carefully that you allow for extra grad classes as an undergrad. Accreditation reqs. allow for 2, sometimes 3. Also, some fifth-year programs require a related undergrad major.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for your perspective, ClarkStudent. Sounds like you’ve figured it out.</p>