I was in Dual Enrollment during high school and by the time I graduated had 39 credits. My university accepted all of them so I have all the university requirements done with and I’m working on the classes specifically for my major. By the end of fall of my freshman year they had changed my status to sophomore. This year now that Im technically a sophomore, Ill have 83 credits by the end of fall this term. I figure if I take 14 credits in spring, which is what im taking this term, Ill have 97. Plus I plan on taking a least one class over the summer, probably Microbio,which I think would be 4 credits, I would have 101 credits by what would be my junior year. And keeping on the track of taking 14 credits for fall that would put me at 115, for spring and I would only need 5 more credits to graduate and as long as I meet all the course requirements. I know Ill need to talk it over with my adviser if its possible to graduate next spring or summer, Im just curious if anyone else came in with a lot of dual enrollment credits from high school and got to graduate earlier. I was surprised when I started talking to other people at my university that not very many took dual enrollment. Also at what number of credits do most universities consider you a junior?
There was a kid on my floor who came into college with 75 credits. He’s graduating in the spring of his sophomore year. There were plenty of people that came in with credits in the low 30s. Most of those people finish in 3-3.5 years. It’s pretty easy to just change your graduation date. At my school, you’re considered a junior at 57 credits, and a senior at 87. You need 120 to graduate
I think this happens quite frequently with AP and dual enrollment credits. You save a lot of money when you graduate a year early.
You’ll probably be able to graduate early, but I wouldn’t recommend it unless your financial situation makes it necessary. In the job market, a 22-year-old with more coursework and experience is better than a 21-year-old with less coursework and experience.
I started college with 58 credit hours from dual enrollment. My plan is to graduate in four years (maybe five if I participate in the co-op program) with two bachelor’s degrees, a master’s degree, and around 210 credit hours. My university considers you a junior if you have at least 60 hours. I have 93 hours now, so I’m going to be a “senior” for the next three or four years.
You may not want to graduate early, but you may want to:
- Do a Co-op//internship
- Study abroad
- Do a 3-2 Master’s program
- Do research
- Take some harder (lab) courses with a lighter load each semester
and take the 4 years.
It depends on what you want to major in…if those make sense. But going to school for more years costs you/your parents more.
My daughter graduated in 2.5 years (HS Credits + some summer courses) but then finished her masters in 1.5 years…since we would pay for 4 years of college, she got a second degree within that time. We also told her not to rush but were not going to prevent her.
If you graduate early, you will be younger than others at work/grad school…my daughter wasn’t even 21 when she started grad school. Now she is a teacher at just barely 22. But she saved money!