<p>Hi everyone,</p>
<p>I am a first-year student at the University of New Hampshire. I am currently a Mechanical Engineering major, but am switching to Mathematics. If I stay here this summer and take classes, I can graduate in Spring 2010 with a B.S. in Math. I plan to pursue graduate studies in either Applied Mathematics or Industrial Engineering. Would graduating this quickly hurt my chances for admissions? Would it help? Would it not matter at all? Any input would be welcome. Thanks!</p>
<p>It may or may not hurt in itself, but unless you are doing it for the sake of your finances, there's no point. I'd say that unless you can't afford it financially, stay all four years. Use the opportunity to take more electives, but above all, use the opportunity to do research, and to get to know professors. It will make your application stronger, and it will also help you survive in grad school.</p>
<p>Is Graduating in Two Years a Bad Idea? </p>
<p>Yes.</p>
<p>If you have aspirations for grad school, yes it is bad. 2 years is not enough time to gather letters of recommendations and engage in undergraduate research. You may want to do a senior thesis too.</p>
<p>having two years of research experience isn't enough for grad school?? perhaps he started intensive research as soon as he started undergrad.</p>
<p>agc28, what about LORs? Most college students do not become close to professors until their junior year of college. The first year is almost always general requirements and exploring who you are.</p>
<p>What about grad school for humanities majors? What happens to the kid who does two years CC and transfers to a university? If they make good connections their last two years is that sufficient?</p>
<p>somemom, when that student transfers to a 4-year university they would be taking upper-level courses (what matters the most to most grad schools anyways) since they generally fulfill the prerequisites and general course requirements at the community college level.</p>
<p>You need waaayyy more time than 2 years. Even if you did and took time off, the grad schools would still want to see more upper level coursework and LORs from those.</p>
<p>Besides, what's the rush?</p>
<p>I am confused. How does taking one summer's worth of classes make you graduate in two years? Also, won't the OP have to take the same upper level classes, regardless of how much time the degree takes?</p>
<p>cativ8ed, </p>
<p>I came into college with 40 hours of AP credit. I only had to take 3 classes outside of my major. 128 hours are needed to graduate in total, so I only need 88 hours coming in. So I took 16 hours this semester, and will take 20 hours the next three semesters. Over the summer I will take three classes, adding another 12 hours. A tough schedule, but it is doable.</p>
<p>And a bad idea.</p>
<p>Patsfan59 -</p>
<p>You are in a very particular, and uncommon situation. You need to talk to your faculty advisors and ask them about their experience with candidates like you. Even if they don't have any experience themselves, they have professor friends, and those professor friends have even more professor friends. Someone who actually is in a position to accept graduate students will have advice for you on how you should proceed.</p>
<p>Wishing you all the best.</p>
<p>That sounds like a really intense work load. And then grad school will be even more intense. It might be good to slow it down so that you can actually enjoy your college experience.</p>
<p>Not to mention that you might want to take electives outside of your major just to make life a little more interesting. I almost died when I had to take 3 history courses instead of the normal 2... that was too much (as much I love history). Those keep you sane.</p>
<p>I think others have forgotten to mention one major aspect of spending 4 years in undergrad. </p>
<p>It gives you the time to mature and grow, both as an individual, but also as a future member of society. College is the time to interact with people from various parts of the country, and world; to experience new things; to make mistakes; to get away from your parents! It's more than just a requirement to get into graduate school so that you can get X degree, for Y job, in order to make Z millions of dollars.</p>
<p>Enjoy your time in college. Don't rush it!! You won't have this opportunity again and you may miss out on a good time.</p>
<p>If you have so much extra time, take up some extracurricular activities or volunteer or study abroad!</p>
<p>There was a thread earlier in the week asking the same question and a poster responded that he was on a Grad school interview committee and they would not even consider a student who spent only 2 years in undergrad. I will see if I can find the thread.</p>
<p>Here you go - <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/608127-dual-enrollment-credits-impact-med-law-school-apps.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/608127-dual-enrollment-credits-impact-med-law-school-apps.html</a> it was a thread about med/law school, but in post 5 Starbright posted the following response</p>
<p>
[quote]
Where are they entering college as juniors? Also, how many students do you know of specifically who have graduated in two years. The reason I ask these questions is I wonder if it's more of a theory that's out there, rather than a reality.</p>
<p>Though it's not law or med, on the grad school admissions committees I have sat, we would never consider someone who has only spent two years in an undergraduate college after highschool.</p>
<p>The reasons would be these. Their predicted age and maturity level would be a disadvantage (even if the prediction is inaccurate). There would be a question mark of whether they had enough time to know themselves, their real interests and best career goals for themselves.</p>
<p>As important, we might suspect they lack the values and perspective we are looking for. This is because it might appear that such candidates chose speed and quantity over experience, quality of education and development. That they viewed education like a commodity, a race, boxes to be checked off in an instrumental fashion, rather than as an experience, where one takes courses but also acquires wisdom, insight, critical thinking and development along the way. Education is so much more than what scores you get, and so much more goes on in the undergraduate yeras than earning credits.</p>
<p>Now I can think of some exceptions to what I'm saying about the time length. Like the truly high gifted who leave HS early and start university in their early to mid teens and finish early (I know some fantastic transition programs for such kids). Or those that manage to knock off a year in various ways. But what you are describing above, as a whole, creates a very different picture of a particularly different kind of student who comes across as more focused on 'getting it over with' than being intellectually curious.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>UPDATE: I had a meeting with the undergraduate adviser for the mathematics department. I was told that what I was proposing to do (graduating in two years) was in fact possible, and that it would not hurt my applications for graduate school. In fact, he seemed generally enthusiastic about it. </p>
<p>I think I am going to run with it and see where it takes me. Financially, this route makes a lot of sense. The prospect of possibly having a PhD at age 25 and being able to do something with my life is very hard to pass up. Undergraduate education can be a time for personal growth, as many have said. However, I have goals and dreams, and the sooner I can get started on those, the better. The worst case scenario is I don't get in anywhere after my second year of college, in that case I will get another degree.</p>
<p>Rather than relying on the undergrad advisor why not check with a Graduate adviser and see what he thinks about it?</p>
<p>Also, if finances are an issue, keep in mind that any scholarships/financial aid you are eligible for may not be available for that 2nd degree. For instance federal grants such as Pell are not available once you have a degree.</p>
<p>Let us know what you find out. Good luck.</p>
<p>I would do all 4 years and do some more course work, an internship, study abroad or do a double major (physics/cs/economics) would all compliment it nicely. Why so into it to finish so quick? I know many people who thought they were ready, or mature, but really time is the only solution to better your work and social skills.</p>