<p>I will be going to school which requires 120 credits, with no AP credits. In my fall freshman semester I will have 15 credits, is it likely i can graduate in three years?</p>
<p>Not taking 15 credits a semester with no summer school.</p>
<p>If you take 18 credits a semester, after six semesters, that equals 108 hours. That’d make you short by 12 hours. If you take six hours of summer school after freshman year and six hours of summer school after sophomore year, you’d be done after three years.</p>
<p>But that’s maxing out on hours each semester and not getting a substantial break.</p>
<p>You could always try taking CLEP exams, which are basically like APs. They’re exams given by the college board. If your college accepts them, they’ll require a certain score on each exam that gives you between 3 and 8 credits. You can knock out a few general eds this way studying on your own.</p>
<p>Only if you add more credits/semester, possibly to the point of course overload, and/or take summer courses. I had enough college credits to graduate in three years by doing 16.5 credits my first year, 7.5 over the summer, 16.5 my second year, 4.5 over the summer, and 15 my third year, for a total of 60/60 required credits. I would not recommend this, as I was completely burnt out by the end of it.</p>
<p>You’ll want to plan your courses carefully, by looking at previous school calendars to get an idea of if it’s possible to schedule your credits to fit into three years, especially watching out for necessary prerequisite courses.</p>
<p>Definitely look into the CLEP exams, as AUGirl suggested, and see if you can take any course challenges at your school (if you know the material, you can take an exam to get course credit). Graduating in three years isn’t worth your sanity.</p>
<p>A lot of things are possible. Hell, at my school (which has trimesters) you could do it in 2 1/3 years (3 spring/summer<em>18 credits, 2 fall</em>18 credits, 2 winter*18 credits). This would restrict you to majors which have short prerequisite chains and would give you a much worse experience than the standard 4 year education but if your goal is just to get your degree as quick as possible, then sure, you can do it.</p>
<p>Also keep in mind that it isn’t always financially advantageous to get it in three years.</p>
<p>I know that for me, taking summer courses would cost around $500 each and I have no financial aid available in the summer. If I take those same courses during the school year (taking 18 hours instead of 15 each semester), then I’m looking at only spending about $160 per course not including available financial aid.</p>
<p>And, adding to what AUGirl said, taking classes over the summer cuts into time you could be working to pay towards your classes and avoid debt.</p>
<p>In my university, no. You’ll need to take both several APs and 16 credits per semester to graduate in 3 years. My college places a 16 credits maximum for its student, unless you gets permission from the head of your major and the dean.</p>
<p>Ask your school !</p>
<p>Remember that you need not only 120 hours, you need the hours in specific areas and often in specific sequences. It would take careful planning and you might not get to take all of the class choices you might have preferred over what was available at various points in time.</p>
<p>As another poster, financial aid may not be available during the summer sessions you would need to take.</p>
<p>It would also be difficult to take on the internships, research positions, or other enrichment opportunities that would make you desirable when you finish school, whether you are looking for employment or a graduate school placement.</p>
<p>I’m taking 16 credits next semester actually and like 15 for Spring. I hope to take 8 in the summer meaning I will have 39 credits. If I take winter classes I can get 3-4 credits from that meaning I have at least 42 credits. In three years I would then have 126.</p>
<p>I came into college with no AP credit and if I wanted to, I could graduate (with my minor) in 3.5 years. That would force me to take max credit hours for the remaining semesters, and I’ve taken 10 CH this summer alone. If I were to drop the minor I could graduate easily in 3 years, and I only took 14 credits my first semester.</p>
<p>kobepau2416, will the classes you need be offered in those semesters? At most schools, the offerings are slim in the non-standard semesters, and for some majors, there are very, very few courses offered, if any at all. As well, you really ought to see how difficult it is going from first year to summer courses to another year of courses, before you set your mind on graduating in 3 years. It’s doable, but believe me, it’s HARD.</p>
<p>Why do you want to graduate in 3 years?</p>
<p>I want to graduate early and begin job searching asap. I will be majoring in finance.</p>
<p>Possible? Yes. </p>
<p>Likely? No.</p>
<p>Don’t do it for that reason. You’re only going to be at a disadvantage, because as boysx3 said, you’ll miss out on the research and internships that make you employable. Contrary to popular opinion, a college degree is not a one-way ticket into a great employment market. You still need to make connections with people who can help you get started, and you need to be able to show you can do the work, not just schoolwork. The best time to do this is while you are still in college, and there’s a network in place to help you get these types of experience. If you graduate a year early, you’ll be competing with students a year older than you who have all of this experience; it’s not like the competition goes away just because you graduate before the rest of your entering class. </p>
<p>Please reconsider your plan, as it will hurt you more than it will help.</p>
<p>I did but it will not save you money. Summer classes are just as expensive, if not more expensive, as the rest of the year.</p>
<p>Also be aware that you’ll have a hard time getting a job out of college with no relevant internships. Spending your summers taking classes is generally a bad idea.</p>