<p>Is it possible to graduate from W&M in 3 years? Has anyone attempted to graduate early before? How does it work?
I'm currently picking between William and Mary and another school, and because of the way W&M takes AP credits, I would be potentially entering this fall with academic status as a sophomore (I took a ton of APs in high school and did well on all the tests, so I qualified for a ton of credits). Does this mean I could graduate in 3 years? Because that would potentially be a huge money saver for my family, and would make W&M a more feasible choice in contrast to other schools that have offered me a lot of Financial Aid (I didn't qualify for any at W&M- I have in-state tuition, but its still a lot). I'm aware of the pros and cons of graduating early, but I just want to know if its an option I can consider. Right now I'm leaning towards my other schools for financial reasons, but if I could possibly graduate early that could turn the tables.</p>
<p>Obviously, Admissions will be able to provide a definitive answer for you, but to my understanding, yes it’s possible, at least in theory, but there are obviously some caveats.</p>
<p>DD was in a similar situation - was an academic sophomore upon entry with 30-some hours granted due to AP exams . She did <em>not</em> graduate early, but took a minor instead, and pretty sure she’d fulfilled all of her requirements by 3.5 for both major/minor. </p>
<p>I think the requirements are 120 hours, of which 60 must be done in residency. The exact number of hours required for a major varies, but generally looks to be 30-40 hours in the field of study - this means you’ll probably need to have a pretty good idea of what you’re going to major in on day 1 - most students use the first year to explore various fields and fulfill their GER’s - you wouldn’t have that luxury.</p>
<p>So, you’ll have major requirements and GER requirements - and bear in mind, not every hour earned via AP credit is going to line-up to a course requirement for you. </p>
<p>I think the biggest challenge might be in sequencing of classes - not every course is offered every semester, and if they’re part of a sequential series, might be a tightrope. Similarly, you might find that two of your required courses are only offered the same day/time, so you can’t take them in the same semester. It’s likely less an issue in “popular” majors; I imagine in some very small departments, there are classes that may only be offered in alternate years. </p>
<p>I’d suggest you take a look at the requirements for matriculating in your desired major, the GER requirements, the course catalog, and map your possible classes to see if it’s feasible to have done a 3-year schedule with all of the classes you require. Bear in mind there are summer offerings as well if you need to fill in. </p>
<p>And of course, again, this is just my take and isn’t definitive.</p>
<p>I had multiple friends that did it, though obviously it was rare.</p>
<p>That said, you might want to look carefully at the new curriculum that is being put into place (I don’t know a lot of details about it).</p>
<p>The new curriculum wouldn’t affect this person I don’t think. They say they are choosing between W&M and one other school, so I think that means they will be a freshman this coming fall- new curriculum is for the freshman in fall 2015.</p>
<p>My son was scheduled for graduation after 3 years but decided instead to add a major and do several research projects during the semesters so he someties redcued his load to 3 or 4 courses.</p>
<p>Very possible if you come in with a lot of AP courses. My son tuned down Columbia because he got such a large head start at W&M. Also, make sure that some of your AP credits may be usable for whatever degree you are studying, a non-science major has not much need for physices and you will lose a chacne for an interesting elective if you use the credits.</p>
<p>Yes it is certainly possible although as many have mentioned, it’s rare. Most students just decide to complete the full four years (and maybe add a second major or minor) in order to get the full experience and stay on track with their friends.</p>