<p>I am a CS major and I honestly don't think I can graduate in 4 years maintaining a solid GPA.</p>
<p>At my current pace, the best I can do is probably getting my coursework done by 9 semesters, perhaps 10.</p>
<p>Uh -- you'd have to PAY for an extra year. That can get pretty pricey.</p>
<p>Also, you've postponed beginning your Real Life an extra year. You'll be a year behind in earning money.</p>
<p>If grad school is not on the horizon, I don't see any reason to drag it out, just for the sake of a better GPA. If you have an untoward event -- say, an illness -- and it winds up taking five years, so be it, but why go in with that plan??</p>
<p>You are not alone. Large numbers of engineering majors do not graduate in four years, and instead do so after 9 or 10 semesters because (a) number of semester hours required for a degree is generally higher than LAS (often 10 to 14 hours higher, i.e., an extra semester more if you were to follow the normal LAS 15-16 hour per semester pace); (b) even trying to keep that LAS 15-16 hour pace can be grueling because engineering tacks on hours of required discussion and labs during a semester without any additional credit for the hours (e.g, you can have a 3 hour lab but get only 1 hour of credit) so you can end up going 21 to 22 hours a week to class just to get 16 hours of credit; (c) many engineering students do coops. Other than having to pay for the extra semester or two, it is not a downside.</p>
<p>I'm just curious sang54, how many credits are you taking a semester? </p>
<p>I do see how it could be hard, though. I am on track to graduate comfortably in 7 semesters but that's with 29 outside credits coming in (making me 2 semesters ahead in math, 2 semesters ahead in physics, and having 4/6 liberal arts credits finished). Without that I'd have 8 extra classes I'd have to fit in an extra semester/semester and a half. I've considered delaying graduation so I can finish with my friends and take 5-6 extra electives, but for now it just doesn't make sense financially.</p>
<p>Anyway, for what its worth (and I'm not expert by any means) I don't think it would be that big of a deal if it just happened, but I wouldn't do it just to keep a high GPA by taking 3-4 classes a semester. Not only is that $25k out the door (depending on where you go, aid, all that), but if I was an employer I might look upon that person as being either a bit lazy or a bit slow (not trying to say you are either, just if most other people were taking the same courseload in 8 semesters and you had it spread out in 10, even with a high GPA it would look like you understood the material but that you probably had to spend more time on it.</p>
<p>What I would do is keep trying to take the regular amount. If, next semester,3-4 weeks into classes you find you really just can't keep up, then drop a class and try again next semester. If after a couple more semesters of trying, maybe just give in and concede you will need that 9th or 10th semester. It wouldn't really make sense to purposefully set out to graduate a semester or two "late" without even trying to "keep up."</p>
<p>I usually take around 15 credits per semester. I do have grad school in mind so maintaining a good gpa is a must.</p>
<p>I'm graduating in 11 quarters (12 quarters for 4 years usually) - but that's with a lot of units coming.</p>