So is this doable or am I crazy?

College Majors Math/Computer Science Majors
1

<p>I am a Freshman in college right now, and after thinking about what I want to do I have decided to major in math with a minor in economics. I also have a huge interest in South Korea, hence that is why I want to study abroad there next academic year. Not only that, but I want to graduate ASAP and live in South Korea and teach English there since it only requires a Bachelor's degree of any kind. I practically have a full-tuition scholarship to the D2 college that I am attending (basically D1 though), and because of the credits I had coming into college (even though my college limited them), I have a lot of college credits already. This is why I've been thinking about what I should do.</p>

<p>Basically, I could study abroad all of next year, and graduate in 3 years, possibly double major in math/econ even. But at the university I want to go to, they let students take up to 20 credits/semester for no extra cost (and the tuition is way cheaper anyways)! So, if I take 38-40 credits next year, I can graduate in just 2.5 years instead of 3 by taking 15 credits my 5th semester. As far as I know, I already matched the courses equivalencies because they have the same titles (modern algebra 2, topology, etc). I also get the scholarship from my school to put towards studying abroad so overall it's very cheap to study abroad there.</p>

<p>So my question is, can I take 40 credits while studying abroad in Korea in upper level courses and do well/enjoy my time learning about the culture? At worst, I'd not pass some classes and just re-take them at my home university and graduate in 3 years right? I already know that the GPA doesn't transfer back at all etc. just the credit for the course.</p>

<p>My mom is telling me that I shouldn't take that many credits and not grad. in 2.5 years, but the benefit of graduating sooner is that I can live in South Korea sooner. I eventually want to see if I can teach at a university/get a graduate degree in Korea and then teach at a university there instead of teaching English language. If I don't graduate in 2.5 years on the other hand, I just have to wait another half year. The cost for college won't be that big of a deal, just the time.</p>

<p>The other option is that I just take 3 years to double major, take 15 credits/semester while abroad, and then study abroad in Korea my 4th year (or 3rd year I guess if I stay at home my 4th year) just to live there and maybe take classes that don't go towards a degree (or mix up the classes so that some of them are for my degree/delay my math/econ degrees by adding extra classes). The difference is studying abroad in Korea for a year instead of teaching there for a year (not having to work, and probably ending up a little better money-wise).</p>

<p>In conclusion, I've heard that many people have been able to take 20+ credits/semester in college, and so I'm weighing the opportunity cost of graduating a semester earlier and having that extra time, but having to take 20 credits/semester in South Korea where the courses will be very difficult and the teachers might be harder to understand etc. Thanks for you help!</p>

2

<p>Are you sure they don’t transfer the classes you fail back as a failed class (use P/F for courses taken abroad)? Something you should check on. Also, why not study abroad for just semester instead of the whole year? It would be more sane. And since you hope to live there for a while after graduation, you will get enough of the culture then.</p>

3

<p>That’s an interesting point since I will be living there after graduation. Now I’m thinking that I should study abroad in a different country to get a different experience maybe (and not take a lot of credits)? Since I’ll be living in South Korea I will experience the culture more than enough. Since most people study abroad for a different experience in another country and to learn about another culture, I should probably find another country other than Korea to do the same in. That way I can just have another cultural experience other than Korea since I will be living in Korea for quite some time.</p>

<p>Now I’m just thinking about when I’m studying abroad in a country other than South Korea. I’ll be saying, “I could be in South Korea right now.” While at the same time saying, “but I get to be here instead where I never would have ever been to otherwise.” Haha, thanks for the point about getting enough of the culture after graduating.</p>

4

<p>tl;dr I don’t think you should rush things or take insane amounts of credits like that. I also think you need to evaluate what at will make you attractive to grad schools. They will look at all your classes. It is not easy to get a teaching position, and usually you will need a PhD. Is that what you are planning for? </p>

<p>For alternate abroad opportunities, look into Budapest Semesters in Mathematics. It is very well regarded. It is also easy to travel to nearby countries before or after and on the longer weekends. My daughter enjoyed this program.
<a href=“http://www.budapestsemesters.com/[/url]”>http://www.budapestsemesters.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

5

<p>Skimming this again, it seems that your priority is South Korea, not grad school. So do your study abroad there to make sure it what you want and maybe you can look into what it takes to get into grad school there. Be protective of your transcripts and gpa. They will be used by grad school here or there. Try not to bum rush your education. Maybe spring and summer over there will satisfy you enough for the short term.</p>

6

<p>I will let others answer the question of whether or not your plan is doable. Rather, you need to realize whether or not your desire to live and teach in South Korea is temporary. With full tuition, you could also take the time to take plenty of other useful/interesting courses and pursue interesting internships, and once you’re done with four years of paid learning, South Korea will still be waiting.</p>