Part Time or Full Time for next Fall?

Student Lounge College Life
1

<p>Hey everyone! So I'm caught in this dilemma. I will be a junior in college next fall and I'm debating should I be a part time student or full time student!</p>

<p>I have signed up for 4 classes and having 15 credits in total for next Fall. 3 out of the 4 classes are required for my degree while one class, which is French, is only for interest. According to my school policy, any thing below 12 credits is considered part-time student and the tuition will be adjusted as well. In my case, my tuition will approximately go down by at least $2000 since I'm an out-of-state student at a state school. </p>

<p>So here is my dilemma. I'm not sure if it's worth it to drop French just to be part-time student. I do not have Financial Aid and I will be able to graduate in 4 years. $2000 is a lot of money (almost a semester of housing for me) and being part-time will also allow me to pick up a job on campus as well. So, financially this is very beneficial. Also, being part-time will allow me to have more time on studying each class. I want to go to law school and GPA is the king. No question about it. </p>

<p>However, I love French. Although it's not my major or minor, I really hope I can continue studying it until I reach 5th semester, and I don't think I will have the time to learn the language after graduation. I can foresee myself using my French knowledge in the future. Furthermore, I perform really well in French classes; so far I have gotten nothing but As in them. So it sure helps with my GPA as well.</p>

<p>What do you think? Should I give up French to become a part-time student or no? Thanks!</p>

2

<p>Wow, that’s a tough decision :wink: Here’s a few things to think about.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>How important is it to have that extra $2,000? If you end up giving yourself more headaches because you spent that extra $2,000 on classes, then maybe you’ll want to go part-time.</p></li>
<li><p>Would it be advantageous for you to take a part-time job because it will look better on your law school applications? As in, maybe you have a lot of good academic credentials but you could use some more work experience so you look like a more well-rounded person? (BTW, I assume you’ve mapped out how many classes you’ll need in order to graduate on time and how much more money you’ll need to spend.)</p></li>
<li><p>It’s tough to say how either decision could affect your grades.</p></li>
<li><p>I’m all in favor of taking as many classes as you can in college (particularly classes you truly enjoy) because you may not have the opportunity to do so later on. I also see no downside to becoming more proficient in a foreign language.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>If I was in your shoes, I’d go part-time and get a job if I didn’t have adequate work experience. If if I felt that work experience wasn’t a problem and money wasn’t a big issue, I’d take the French class.</p>

<p>Hope I helped rather than hindered you.:slight_smile: </p>