<p>Is graduating college early going to help or hurt your chances of getting into a top grad school?<br>
I know there probably isn't a clear-cut answer for this but I know a lot of you are experienced (I'm not) and could give me advice on this. Let's just assume that GRE scores and GPA won't change much between the 3rd and 4th year. Because I can graduate in 3 years easily but I can also go to school for an extra year and pick up a double major or something. Thanks</p>
<p>Uh...grad schools want to see research and upper division coursework. I guess I don't understand why you would want to graduate early if you are interested in spending so many years researching, and to a lesser extent, studying. If you enjoy those things, why would you want to leave college early? I don't get it.</p>
<p>I would stay on for the fourth year. I don't think it will impress them very much that you finished your graduation requirements in three years - a lot of their applicants probably have done that. They would probably focus on the fact that you have less coursework and less research experience as a result of graduating early.</p>
<p>To add to the previous comment, stay on for another year. If you're going into a more technical field (like economics perhaps) you'll have more time to take courses in mathematics or other related fields. Moreover, you need to build very strong relationships with your professors and get in as much researching as you possibly can. By building up your research experience, getting more instruction in your field and related areas, you'll stand a much better chance of admission into top programs. Don't worry about a double major. Worry about getting as many relevant and challenging courses in your field so you know that you're ready for a five year commitment. What field are you looking at going into?</p>
<p>i was looking to go into accounting or finance</p>
<p>our business school doesnt have that many electives in that area so if i stayed on for a 4th year id probably just take arbitrary courses that dont have too much to do with what i want to do...i guess i could take graduate courses but wouldn't it make more sense to just take them in grad school? it would also save a year of undergrad tuition. idk, thats why im asking for advice here i guess.</p>
<p>What sort of finance or accounting grad program are you targeting, masters or PhD? The desirable profile for finance masters programs will be quite different from those for accounting. The desirable profile for PhD programs will be more similar to each other than to the masters programs, but still somewhat different. Regardless, you should probably make use of the 4th year, but what you do with it is conditional on which of the four options you're targeting.</p>
<p>At the considerable cost of time and money you could ultimately combine either of the masters options with either of the PhD options, though finance/finance and accounting/accounting would be a bit easier.</p>
<p>I think that research opportunities in either at the undergrad level will be quite rare and will not be expected for many if any grad programs.</p>
<p>Can you exchange with another school to do some upper-level coursework? Could you take some grad classes? Can you do an internship?</p>
<p>Look outside the box.</p>
<p>could you only attend part-time, and get an internship? That way you're certainly saving yourself some expense, getting experience, but not rushing through things. The other trap of rushing through undergrad is that sometimes you just don't do as well as if you'd spread it out a little more.</p>
<p>i think you should either get a job or go to graduate school. There is no reason to waste another year's time and money.</p>
<p>Don't be worried about graduating early. I graduated in three years, and I was able to accomplish everything I needed to during that time- work experience, volunteer experience, GRE, etc. I didn't see any point in wasting college tuition. Plus, I got into grad school.</p>
<p>My suggestion is to plan ahead for graduation. Figure out when you can take the courses you need to and start thinking early about people you are going to ask for letters of recommendation. Also, look into doing research in the field your interested in either during the school year or the summer. </p>
<p>Finally, I recommend that you apply for both internships and graduate school during your senior year. If you get into grad school, you just shaved a year off of the time it will take you to get your degree. On the other hand, if you get an internship instead, at least you will be getting paid for your 4th year rather than having to pay college tuition. Plus, that experience will look great on a graduate school application :)</p>
<p>chelsea 2005's advice is right on the money. I am graduating a year early, just got accepted to grad school, and followed that exact plan to the dot...</p>
<p>i'm doing the same thing as chelsea2005 and leejwwc... i can't see why taking more undergrad classes is better for you than gaining real experience in research or just getting a job (in the event that you don't get into grad school right away, but plenty of people have). but then it seems like there are people who'd argue for both points of view... i guess it depends on where you're applying and the opinions of the faculty and grad committee there.</p>