Yes, I realized sophomore year that I could do it but I had to be careful about planning. So, as a double major in English and History, I started picking out classes that could count towards both majors, and I took an extra class a few semesters. I don’t think someone would realize their third year that they accidentally did everything they needed to in 3 years, unless they were planning it beforehand.
AP wasnt a thing at our my sons HS, but PSEO was. He transfered in about 50 credits to University of Minnesota. He is starting his third year now and will graduate next May with an CS degree. His last semester will be part time, which may allow him to begin work early.
The basic strategy with PSEO/college now is that the core req’s they complete in HS are earned with college credit clases. This in theroy would allow a degree in 2, and we did map out a way to do that during his first year of college.
In practice though the classes he needed for his major (CS specific classes and upper level math) were not available in HS, so the college sequence became quite tight and difficult, with few elective classes to help pad his workload and GPA. He ended up taking a lighter load then other students,12-13 most semesters.
But yeah sure is nice skip out of a year of college expenses. This had little effect on his social life, he still lived in the dorms first year, still attended most classes at his high school, etc. The only think different about his status was that according to credits he was a jr during first year, but otherwise looked and mixed with other freshman.
Good Luck.
I finished college in 3 years back in the late 80s. Both of my children have entered/will enter college with more than 30 credits, but I am strongly discouraging them from finishing in less than 4 years. I believe they will benefit much more from taking the additional time to take classes outside their majors, pursue outside interest, do internships or study abroad, etc. I understand there are situations where the financial circumstances are such that a 4-year college experience really isn’t practical, and in those cases finishing as soon as possible probably makes sense. If you are seeking the benefits beyond academics that come with the 4-year experience, though, I am now firmly opposed to cutting it short. While I moved straight onto a top professional school and a successful career, I would have been a more well-rounded person earlier in my life if I had taken the extra year.
One thing to keep in mind is that even if they have the AP credits they may not be able to use them. The situation I am currently familiar with is pre-Med students needing to take biology, chemistry, and calculus at the university level despite AP credits.
My D has decided in her sophomore year not to graduate early (if so, only for 1 semester due to course sequence). She has considered getting a dual degree but decided to have a minor plus very light load in junior and senior year instead. Originally, she was looking for research opportunity to fill her time. She did a summer intern in a company related to her major this year (right after sophomore), and the company asked if she wants to return after summer. Now she got a part-time position there as she only needs 8 credits in her major/minor courses per semester to graduate in 4 years. All the other graduation requirements have been fulfilled mostly by the AP credits. She just need to find some interesting electives to fill up the minimal 12 credits each semester as a full time student. Graduating early is just one of the options that AP credits may get you into. The money that she will earn would be more than the CoA for 1 year, plus she will have additional work experience.
@billcsho, I think that is smart. A minimum load allows you to do more outside of classes. At some schools, it’s even possible to continue as a part-time student.
I graduated in 3 years using AP credits. I still got to take the classes I wanted, dropped a couple that weren’t interesting, took a few fun fine arts classes, and completed a thesis. The only thing that I missed out on was study abroad.
D, however, will not graduate in 3 years. She will use AP credits to triple major and minor. I graduated early out of necessity. There’s no reason for her to rush into the workforce. I recommend graduating early only if finances are a concern.
Mine finished in 3 and started grad school right before turning 21. She did one year, then served 2 1/2 with the Peace Corps, then finished her master’s (Masters International program) - done before she turned 25. She has been living overseas for 4 years and just signed up for a fifth year.
My D definitely had to make course load decisions that would allow her to finish early during her second year. Maybe even first year as she decided whether, as an engineering major, to use the AP calc and chem credit or to retake those classes as is often recommended. It’s fairly easy to back out of the decision to graduate early (or in her case, with the coterminal masters. It’s not so easy to decide to go for it later in the game. It’s been a one semester at a time choice for my D–could she handle this course schedule, this semester, or should she back off? The father she goes, the more locked into her course sequence she is, and the more fixed that graduation date becomes.
My daughter graduated in 2.5 years (IB Diploma 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.
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 lab courses
and take the 4 years.
@PurpleTitan It is possible to switch to part time student, but my D would lose her scholarships. She pretty much have full tuition covered by scholarships and grant.
@billcsho, that makes sense.
I can see the benefit of staying on campus for 4 years, but a lightened load could be helpful and also potentially save money.
I would like to jump in late, if an unexecuted plan counts as an experience.
My D had a choice last Fall, to apply to a local non-selective state u, and get BFA in 2 years by taking 47 more units and using community college and exam credits. She could then continue art privately, graduate school, atelier, or go to a law school and licensed by 18.
@PurpleTitan, we hadn’t thought of part-time status as a possibility - interesting. D’s school does seem to allow it for a minimum of 3 courses in her senior year, but not sure if there is any $ savings realization. She’s leaning more towards doing more activities in 4 years, as she finds opportunities she’d like to take advantage of, but keeping open the possibility of shaving off one semester or working towards a graduate degree by structuring her classes this year.
Our DD graduated early last Dec and was forced to stay in town anyway to pay for her apartment that she was unable to sublet. I think that had she been more proactive in subletting someone else’s place for just the Fall semester that it would have been a great idea to graduate early. In the end she started working at a “real” job this summer just like all her classmates. That mistake (which I warned her about) probably cost her many thousands of dollars.
Depends on the school, and on the student. As someone mentioned upthread, Minnesota has a PSEO program that allows qualified HS students to take actual college classes in their last two years of HS at state expense, with no maximum on the number of classes taken as long as it’s within a 2-year window. We’ve known lots of kids (including our two daughters) who have taken full college loads at the University of Minnesota in their junior and senior years of HS. Some stayed at the U and finished up their undergrad degrees in as little as 2 years after graduating HS; others entered other colleges as freshmen but were able to transfer some, most, or all of their PSEO credits, again allowing them to graduate in 2 or 3 years. Most parents love the cost savings. Our view was different. We wanted our daughters to have the full 4-year undergraduate experience. For our daughters, that was the right choice. In our view, college isn’t just about getting credentialed, it’s an important life-shaping experience, a critically important growing-up time, and an opportunity to explore a world of ideas, literatures, and insights from an array of academic disciplines that most of us will never have again. Our daughters, being our daughters, approached college that way, and benefited from it enormously. I don’t think either of them would trade that 4-year college experience for a faster credential in a million years, and it’s something we valued, and were fortunate enough to be in a position to pay for. It’s a lifetime gift I am happy to be able to give my daughters, and one they will appreciate to the end of their days. In D1’s case it was never really an issue because the college she chose, a leading LAC, strictly limited the number of credits you could transfer, so as a practical matter that meant you’d pay 4 years tuition in any event. In D2’s case the LAC allows more credits to transfer but D2 opted for the 4-year experience, as do most students there. Graduating classes at her college are small and close-knit. One close friend of D2’s elected to graduate in 3 years for financial reasons, but there was a certain sadness when that student graduated a year early last spring, as both the early graduate and her closest friends and classmates (including my daughter) felt a palpable sense of loss that she wouldn’t be back to complete her senior year with her class. At a larger and less close-knit school, this probably isn’t much of an issue, and most of the students we know who graduated on an accelerated timetable seem quite happy with that choice. But it’s not for everyone.
@Parentof2014grad , where did your daughter attend College for 4-1 Masters ?
@svcamom She’s at Illinois Institute of Technology.
Son could have gotten a BS in math after three years. But- he was also younger and he did some grad level math courses for the honors degree his fourth year along with taking other courses. Finishing in three years means being less well prepared for grad school, how important this is depends on the major. It also means needing to take the GRE and subject GRE a year earlier.
I would not push to finish in three years if it means forgoing other classes that would add to the education. Undergrad college years are the only time one has to devote solely to indulge in learning all sorts of things it is harder to do later. If the budget will not be stressed I advocate for taking those extra “useless” classes and adding a second major.
There will be decades to be in the work force, now is the time of life for young people to enjoy being a college student. Notice I am not referring to participation on all of the social activities but rather the opportunity to take more classes.
I like the idea of using the AP credits as a means to a 4-1 Master’s degree if D is so inclined and her schedule works. Her department offers it as an option. Of course, as she’s just a soph, all could change. It’s also flipping my argument on its head, by spending another year of tuition instead of trying to save a bunch of bucks. 
Why not a 3+1Y Masters?