Graduate Early from Undergrad? Advice Please!

Graduate School Law School
1

<p>I'm a little concerned about whether or not I should graduate early (within three years) from undergrad. I'm currently on track to graduate in three years (next spring 2009) from UC San Diego. I'm an International Studies-Political Science major (one major, not a double, for clarification purposes) with a minor in Eurasian Studies.</p>

<p>I always thought graduating early showed diligence and initiative, but then became quite concerned after reading the following thread on CC: <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/law-school/462256-graduating-3-years-vs-possible-higher-gpa.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/law-school/462256-graduating-3-years-vs-possible-higher-gpa.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>I want to go into international human rights law and plan on getting a JD. I plan on taking the LSAT this June. My GPA is currently 3.5 and likely to climb in the coming quarters. (Still debating whether to apply to law school straight out of undergrad or consider an option such as the Peace Corps, which is another issue entirely...)</p>

<p>My reasons for graduating early are as follows: I don't particularly adore my university and would like to move on to the next stage in my life, and I figured if it were within my capabilities to graduate early, then more power to me. I came in with 28 units from AP tests out of high school. I plan my classes carefully, take a full load every quarter, and have taken a couple classes over the summer. I even managed to squeeze in a semester of studying abroad in Budapest.</p>

<p>I have an internship with a local non-profit, am one of the captains of my school's Mock Trial team, and am involved in various capacities with internationally-focused orgs on campus. I'm a mature, disciplined student with a clear goal, and don't feel I'd need that extra year in undergrad to "figure things out" or make sure this is what I want to do with my life -- because it is. I'd love to work for the ICC or the ICJ, for instance.</p>

<p>Am I shooting myself in the foot by graduating in three years? Any advice is very much appreciated!</p>

2

<p>I agree with a good deal of what was said in the thread you cited. I also think that entering into the recruiting and hiring world of 1Ls and 2Ls with the disadvantage of being deemed younger and less seasoned than your peers can really hurt your career prospects. Perhaps you should consider graduating early and working for a couple of years?</p>