How important is it to graduate in four years?

College Majors
1

<p>I want to get some advice on my current major situation.</p>

<p>Currently I'm an English Literature major. I know a general English degree will not get me far, so I've planned on continuing my education after I graduate. I'm interested in certification as a reading specialist, which is a year long grad program.</p>

<p>My other interest would be secondary education, which would be a two year long grad program, or I would need to graduate a year late if I switched my current major to secondary education instead. I'm not sure how I feel about staying an extra year in undergrad if I decide to go this route. It would obviously be cheaper.</p>

<p>How important is it to graduate in four years? Does it look bad to stay an additional year if you change majors. I've also heard it would not be a good idea to get a masters right away because it would make employment more difficult, not to mention more costly. </p>

<p>I apologize if I sound very clueless. I'm trying to figure out my best course of action sooner rather than later.</p>

2

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<p>I don’t think there’s anything wrong with needing an extra year. Some programs are actually extremely difficult to achieve in 4 years. Some Bachelor’s are in fact 5 year programs because there is so much material to learn. (I believe Architecture is one example.) In addition, if one changes their major late in the game, retention is almost inevitable. But as long as you get good grades, I don’t see any problems. I personally would not pity or look down on a college graduate because he graduated in 5 years as opposed to 4. The one downside is obvious: cost. That extra year will be another year of housing costs (if you have a dorm), transportation, books, etc. It may leave a dent in you’re wallet, especially if you do go for a Masters afterwards.</p>

<p>That being said, some jobs REQUIRE a graduate degree, such as secondary education. While there are always jobs that need some sort of Bachelor’s degree, those may not be in your interest. If you wanted, you could get such a job and save some money to put towards you’re Masters. Or you can go directly for whichever program you prefer.</p>

<p>Monetarily speaking, finishing your Bachelors in four years and then getting your certification as a reading specialist in 1 year would probably be cheaper than five years of undergraduate study and a 2-year graduate program. (5 years compare to 7.) However, no one knows your situation better than yourself; evaluate your resources and passions and go from there.</p>

<p>You sound very mature for taking your education so seriously. Kudos.</p>

3

<p>Nope. No one cares how long it took to get your degree, just that you got it. I mean do people even request transcripts anymore for jobs? </p>

<p>As a young person (if you are young) getting all of your academics completed by 30 is a realistic accomplishment.</p>

4

<p>It doesn’t matter how long it takes. Remember a lot of people do 5-6 years to cover internships, foreign exchange time, sports. Now as long as you are not like some people I knew who took 8-10 years because they keep failing the class.</p>