<p>Any engineering program that tells you to plan on more then 8 semesters run for the door. I cry BS!! I just do. It absolutely CAN be done! If you can’t get get your classes scheduled, look elsewhere, if it’s because of co-OP, that’s a choice (and not a bad one)…eight academic semesters not four consecutive years. I have seen the idea that engineering is no longer a 4year degree so many times here on cc it boggles me. Why should it be any different then a LAs degree? </p>
<p>My son’s top two choices have two vastly different 4yr grad rates (56% & 87%) however after looking at the reasons why we felt students didn’t finish at school B we felt they didn’t apply, or we were willing to take the risk. He was academically very prepared, had to plan well, would not travel abroad, good financial backing, so he had a very good shot of finishing on time. He did choose school A and is on schedule to graduate May '15, Mech’e (possibly a math minor…it’s one more class but his choice), and internships every summer. Btw, he has several peers at school B that will be graduating in engineering May '15, on time. It can be done!!</p>
<p>^^^Blueiguana, I know it CAN be done as my son is graduating in 4 years with his engineering degree, but with only internships (no coops) and only 3 AP classes going in. I agree with you that if the school says 5 years (unless coops is required) that you should seriously consider another school. At our state flagship (not where S1 is going) 5 years is the norm for engineering which adds another $18-$25,000 to their education costs. When he visited the engineering department as a hs senior, most of the students he talked to were super-seniors. That was one of the reasons he did not chose to go there.</p>
<p>I LOVE the schools with a 4 year graduation guarantees as they usually make the necessary classes available and require counselor meetings before scheduling. Most of S1’s friends are on course to graduate with him this year too. (Of course this is only valid if the student does their part too by going to classes, scheduling a full semester and not changing majors etc.)</p>
<p>Other reasons at schools with low graduation rates:
not going to office hours/not going to class (thinking “I can copy someone’s notes/I can watch it online” resulting in never doing it)
drinking too much
no or little support system: few or no free tutors, few Writing Center hours, registering for classes online on your own instead of after a thorough discussion with your adviser (some schools even have peer advisers on top of the academic adviser)
peer pressure/ low motivation: lecture classes with 200+ students and no check, peers who have not done the reading for discussion, being the only one who’s seemingly prepared for class… tends to lead the average student to slacking off, resulting in lower grades.
being on your own with a learning disability - having to manage your ADD (for example) on your own for the first time</p>
<p>In my opinion (I’ll readily admit I have no research to back it up :p) lack of support and unmotivated peers would be two key reasons for non-drinking, “regular” students to take more than 4 years.</p>
<p>Also, as has been said earlier, many students don’t realize they must take and pass 15-16 credits every semester if they want to graduate in 4 years since they can officially be considered “full time” for FA and administrative purpose with only 12 credits.</p>
<p>In addition to what everyone else has mentioned, there are a lot of kids going to college that simply do not belong there. Every single parent I know intends for their kids to go to college. Most seem to make them at least start. That would add to the low stats. I know someone right now who is dragging her teen to colleges. The teen got a very low score on the SAT last year and flat out told her mom she doesn’t want to go. But the mom is determined.</p>
<p>Eng’g depts have sequenced classes, and they usually have recommended schedules: Fall semester, take A, B, C, and D…and so forth. So, they know how many students they have, so they know how many of A, B, C, D seats are needed. </p>
<p>It’s when kids fall out of sequence…dropping classes, taking too light of a load, attempting double majors w/o making sure that they can complete ONE, that kids really get into trouble.</p>
<p>Exactly, particularly if one needs to repeat a Frosh course.</p>
<p>My son’s good friend was an Engineering major at UCLA. During registration, they handed him his four-year schedule. If I recall, it had room for 2-3 electives over four-years (and that was only because of a couple of AP credits which fulfilled the Uni distribution requirements). He asked to take additional electives, and they promptly said, ‘no, not if you want to graduate in four years.’ Moreover, we want you out in four years so we can admit other students. So, if you want to take other classes, take them over the summer when you should be working on an interships.</p>
<p>Co-ops or other off semesters when the student is not in school paying tuition really should not count in the assessment of “on time” graduation.</p>
<p>However, if the student does not have particularly good high school academic preparation, it may be realistic to look at the student’s risk of needing more than 8 semesters (or 12 quarters at a quarter system school) to graduate.</p>
<p>Assuming that the 10 semesters includes 4 or 6 semesters at the CC, it would very well be that the total cost of 4 or 6 semesters at the CC plus 6 or 4 semesters at the four year school costs less than 8 semesters at the four year school.</p>
<p>However, any extra semesters, particularly if they happen at the four year school rather than the CC, could end up being an unplanned expense.</p>
<p>Every single one of my very smart and capable high school classmates who majored in engineering back in the last century at our home-state big engineering U took more than four years to graduate. Five years for an engineering degree is not news.</p>
<p>While it is common to take more than eight semesters for all but the best prepared students, engineering curricula is typically structured as eight semester curricula. Students who cannot handle the full course loads listed, or who need remedial courses, will be the ones who end up needing extra semesters. Granted, this may be the majority of students at all but the most selective schools.</p>
<p>UCLA and CSULA are both state universities in the same region of California. However, they are at opposite ends of the admissions selectivity spectrum among the state universities in California. UCLA’s four year graduation rate is 70.8%, while CSULA’s is 8.5%. Six year graduation rates are 91.5% and 33.1% respectively.</p>