3 ways to graduate early
Graduating from a four-year college within three years isn't impossible. In fact, it can even be easy. Getting a degree a couple of semesters early allows you to enter the professional world as a young and enthusiastic worker before all of your classmates.
A number of schools are creating accelerated guidance programs specifically for driven students who want to graduate early. David Pesci, director of media relations at an Illinois-based university, recently spoke with USA Today about how more liberal arts schools are making it possible for students to earn a degree in three years.
"A lot of people thought this couldn't be done at a liberal arts institution," Pesci told the news source. "I think this shows it can be done, and it can be done in a way that's still aligned with the institution academically."
Do you think you have what it takes to graduate early? Here are three ways you can do it:
1. Take advanced placement courses in high school
If you took advanced placement (AP) courses in high school, you can easily shave off an entire semester's worth of core curriculum depending on your score. Some schools even count an AP score of five as a whole year of science or mathematics courses. Use all of your hard work during high school to your advantage.
2. Take summer school
If you take summer school classes, you could earn a semester's worth of credits within 12 weeks. These densely packed classes only take a couple of hours out of your day, so you'll have plenty of time to get your surfboard and hit the waves. Plus, if you take summer school two years in a row, you could graduate within three years or less.
3. Overload on coursework
Most colleges require full-time students to take four or five different courses per semester. If you want to graduate early, however, you can overload your schedule with an additional class each term. These options are typically available to driven students who can maintain a decent grade point average despite the heavy workload. With an extra class tacked onto each semester, that amounts to an extra six classes within three years - you've just taken more than half a year off your college career.
