<p>Assuming that I receive all 16 credits (which is the max) from AP/IB exams, is it possible to graduate CC in 3 years? If so, about how many classes should I take?
The reason why I want to graduate a year early is mainly financial (intl, zero fin.aid), not to mention that, as a prospective scientist, I'll be heading to grad school anyways, so I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to pursue my grad studies a little earlier.
Any relevant info would be really appreciated.</p>
<p>BAD IDEA.</p>
<p>The only girl I know that did it was pre-law. For you as a scientist, especially one that wants to go to grad school, that would be a very bad idea. </p>
<p>You would have to overload every semester. 6-7 classes at the minimum. This work load is ridiculous and only doable by a small subsection of Columbia’s already selective student body.</p>
<p>Also, you would seriously hurt your chances of getting into a good grad school. One of the most important things in grad admissions is having done research. With the class load mentioned above, doing any research in 3 years would be insanely hard. You would lack a good letter of rec. from an advisor. Even if you are lucky enough to log, say, 5 hours a week in a lab as a freshman (highly unlikely), no professor will trust you with enough responsibility to make the time worth your while. Quality research, in my experience at Columbia, does not start until the second year and established (read: older) professors don’t like taking anyone less than a jr. </p>
<p>Additionally, grad school is not for those that don’t REALLY like doing research. Without the time spent in the lab you’ll never be able to be sure that it is for you. </p>
<p>I can’t stress enough that “not a bad idea to go to grad school earlier” is, in fact, a very bad idea.</p>