<p>pretty basic question:</p>
<p>im probably going to be a general bio major, and have an additional minor.
i am only going to take classes that i can use towards my major or GE, like no things im interested in. im hoping i can take 4-5 classes per quarter. i dont think i will be doing any summer school. </p>
<p>does this sound doable? i calculated it out and it was, but then real life is sometimes different.</p>
<p>we're no better at predicting reality than you are.</p>
<p>if your finish-in-three plan says you can do it, then you can. just don't screw yourself over and fail a class or something.</p>
<p>if you have enough ap credits to cover a lot of things, then you can go for it if you plan out REALLY REALLY WELL.</p>
<p>i tried and it's pretty difficult...3+1 is good enough for me. it really kills you if you drop a necessary class for some reason (professor, class, time, stress, whatever). and taking 3-4 science classes a quarter is pretty hard because you're constantly studying for tests (assuming that you want to do well in classes). </p>
<p>5 classes per quarter sucks too, btw. don't do it too often.</p>
<p>It's certainly doable.</p>
<p>Now I'm just curious, since I know a few people who want to do this. Why? What's the rush?</p>
<p>School costs money. Three years costs less than four years.</p>
<p>To anyone who asks, "Why three years," ask yourself, "Why four years?"</p>
<p>Hmm.. I did ask myself "Why four years?" and one word came to mind. Fun! I'm not saying that graduating in 3 years isn't fun, since someone in my HS attempted to graduate HS in 3 years and she seemed to enjoy her years. College is supposed to be fun, a new and exciting experience, and an opportunity to educate yourself. I really think extremely pushing yourself to graduate in 3 years kinda kills the whole "exciting" experience of it, but then again you'll be over with it faster for you to start your career! I'd rather take another year to really enjoy my stay, because this might be the best several years of my life before the real world slaps me in the face. Why put so much pressure on myself? I only live once.</p>
<p>^^
I would like to do it in 4 years, but like Slorg said, it's expensive. I'm not getting any financial aid and my dad wants to spend the least possible amount. If I could I would do it in 4 years and have a double major in a subject that I was really interested in, but we can't always have what we want, right? Especially if it costs like >$15,000 :(.</p>
<p>same with me, no financial aid + some pressure from parents.</p>
<p>some good moneymaking/money saving tips:</p>
<ul>
<li>get an easy fun job. i suggest TA-ing and there are other jobs on campus that pay well if you're skilled ($12-20/hr)</li>
<li>don't eat out, buy a lot of stuff, etc.</li>
<li>take your GEs at a community college, either online during the school year or during the summer. at $20/unit, it's way cheaper than the ~$500 per course at ucsd (big recommendation here...i paid like $800 including books that weren't returnable [grrrr...darn sealed plastic software] for 17 quarter units compared to 2400 in just 1 quarter's tuition during the school year)</li>
<li>don't fly/drive home too often. if you fly, it's like $300 just go to home for thanksgiving...but i mean, i'm not say don't go home to visit family. just limit it and don't get too dependent/homesick.</li>
<li>borrow books from friends who already took the class, or buy used online. or if you're hardcore enough, borrow the book and head to the copy machines for a quick $10-20 per textbook. don't get caught.</li>
</ul>
<p>i hate not getting financial aid, lol. in the end, whether we're rich or poor...we still behave like poor college students.</p>
<p>thanks for the tips! i hadn't thought of the copy machine idea</p>
<p>yep it really sucks when there's no financial aid</p>
<p>willbe----</p>
<p>same here</p>
<p>i started at c.c. college cause i don't get any sort of finacial aid, plus i'm low income...</p>
<p>now i realized that still after completing my GEs at c.c. i'm gonna be poor.</p>
<p>if your folks can't pay it then do scholarships. There's thousands of scholarships outhere, but you have to take time to do the essays or any other kind of work they require.</p>
<p>don't try to rush college, it's a really cool experience that you only get to live ONCE!!!! and that money is gonna be well spent cause it goes toward your education. You don't know how much i regret not attending the UCs I got into. i'm gonna try to transfe rout as soon a spossible.</p>
<p>The other problem you may run into is availability of classes. It is frequently very difficult to get some classes due to overcrowding. Some classes are only offered once per year, so if you either can't get the class or don't have the prerequisite yet, you may have to wait until the following year. This seems to be a big problem right now- be sure to look at all of the prereq's for your classes- it helps to sit down and draw out a complete timeline showing all of the prereq's for each class, and then check schedules to see how often classes are offered. Don't rely on the counselors- they are not always very well-informed. Good luck!</p>
<p>they're never well-informed on any "inside" stuff. the way they talk to you is like having an audio version of the website. you're better off: a) looking up the websites yourself, b) checking out forums or asking other students or c) asking your parents for general advice.</p>
<p>this goes for the ones at my college, dept and career services center. have not yet found a gem.</p>