<p>Just wondering if it's possible to get out in 3 years.(For financial reasons and also to return to my home country as quickly as possible) I'll be coming in with ~12 college credits(subject to approval) all in science and math.Majoring in CompSci.</p>
<p>Anything is possible, but realistically, unless you plan on taking lots of summer classes outside of your Oberlin curriculum, the answer is probably not. You are limited to transferring in a maximum of 30 hours to count towards graduation, either from AP/IB credit or college credit from other accredited institutions (either from pre-Oberlin or from summer courses).</p>
<p>You need a minimum of 112 hours to graduate from Oberlin, with maximum of 16 hours covered by your tuition (17 hours if you are double-degree) each semester without paying extra for the hours. </p>
<p>Presuming that you do transfer in the maximum of 30 hours (your 12 pending hours, plus an addition 18 from approved summer courses or what have you), you will have 82 hours to complete at Oberlin. By the numbers, you could possibly complete your Oberlin hours within the six semesters you would like, but that is no guarantee that you will be able to complete your major requirements in that span of time.</p>
<p>You also must comply with the distribution requirements (a certain number of hours in natural science, social science, and humanities, cultural diversity, quantitative proficiency, and writing proficiency) and major requirements, without invoking the 56 hour (no more than 56 hours in your department can count toward your graduation) or 84 hour (no more than 84 hours earned in the college can be in a single division, so, basically, 28 hours must be from outside your division of study) rules.</p>
<p>So, numerically, it is possible to finish your degree in three years, but this is dependent on a variety of ideal situations involving scheduling, summer courses and transfer of credit, and intelligent choices of distribution requirement classes.</p>
<p>**</p>
<p>From a former student perspective, I came into Oberlin with 16 transfer credits, and decided to graduate in four years. I averaged about 13.5 credits per semester, and was part-time my final semester, which was a drastic reduction in price. I understand the desire to finish early for financial or personal reasons, but Oberlin is rather lovely, and I wouldn’t have given up the extra time here for anything.</p>
<p>What Ma’ayan said: it’s possible, but a tough ride. Graduating in three years involves coming in with credits that will satisfy a big chunk of your 9-9-9, planning your schedule very carefully, perpetually taking the heaviest possible course load, doing a Winter Term project every January, taking classes every summer, and hoping that the annual offering of courses in your major works out in just the right way. It doesn’t leave you with a lot of room (any room, really) to fail a course; to take a break; to work over the summer; to take an easier semester; to sustain focus on extracurricular activities; or even to experiment with many electives outside your discipline, which is a big part of studying at a liberal arts school.</p>
<p>If you’re interested in getting out early, it’s a great idea to talk to your advisor as soon as possible (like, during orientation) – they can take a look at exactly what credits you have and what you need for your major, and help you map out the fastest route to graduation. You may be able to finish a semester early, and/or go part-time for your last semester or two; and if it looks like three years is doable, that’s cool. But if you come in with the expectation that you’ll be done in three years or bust, you may end up pushing yourself farther than you should, and missing out on a lot along the way.</p>
<p>(Where I’m coming from: I just finished my third year, and was really close to being able to graduate this spring. That was due to a fortuitous combination of AP credit and summer classes, masochistically difficult semesters, and sheer luck – and, most importantly, my majors have much more flexible curricula than Computer Science. Had I tried to graduate in three years I wouldn’t have been able to study abroad, to spend a summer doing research with my advisor, to pick up a minor, to do honors, or to really commit to the student organizations I’m involved in – all things that have transformed my college experience.)</p>