Graduating college a semester or full year early?

[Anonymous]

Many average students from our school did early collegiate program from community college then went to regional campus of state school to graduate in 1-1.5 years with their DE courses.

Top students took dozens of AP/IB, scored high but went to top colleges where you don't get credit but can use courses to qualify for high level courses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My parents joked with me, asking why I didn’t do this.

I reminded them that I would have been 20 graduating college and it didn’t seem worth it to stress myself squeezing in all those classes for that.

As it was, I had barely turned 21 when I walked in my ceremony. I only took a couple academic classes my senior year and mostly stuff for fun - sign language, dance, several music classes, etc. The fun electives completed my credit requirements.

What's wrong with being 20 or 21 when you graduate? Both of my kids were 20 at graduation. One took a year off and then went to law school, and one went straight into med school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My parents joked with me, asking why I didn’t do this.

I reminded them that I would have been 20 graduating college and it didn’t seem worth it to stress myself squeezing in all those classes for that.

As it was, I had barely turned 21 when I walked in my ceremony. I only took a couple academic classes my senior year and mostly stuff for fun - sign language, dance, several music classes, etc. The fun electives completed my credit requirements.

What's wrong with being 20 or 21 when you graduate? Both of my kids were 20 at graduation. One took a year off and then went to law school, and one went straight into med school.

Good for your kids. I wanted to at least be old enough to buy myself a drink before graduating college. I had no reason to rush into adulthood any sooner than I needed to. I wasn’t going straight to grad school (I got a masters in my mid-20s going to classes at night while working full time). I enjoyed my 4 years in undergrad and didn’t have a reason to make it go faster. It would have involved overloading credits, which would have made the social part of college very difficult. I actually had a pt on campus job my last 2 years and that wouldn’t have been possible if I were taking all the credits needed to graduate early.

[Anonymous]

My child graduated from UMD a semester early and there were two cons. Housing the last semester was a little tricky to coordinate and there was no December ceremony.

[Anonymous]

My niece graduated in 3 years from a flagship university, and I think it was a mistake.

She had a lot of AP credits, and also did a relatively "easy" major (which was especially easy for her because she's very smart and hard-working).

Because she had full financial aid, there would have been no downside to have spent the 4th year taking some classes (perhaps getting a minor) with some practical aspects. Although she is close to her family, she was not open to receiving any advice on this topic, as she is very strong-willed and confident in her decision-making.

The chosen major was impractical, and she is now working in some dead-end jobs while she pursues a fun career. She started all of this age 21, even though college is a unique little period of life and not to be rushed (IMHO).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
My niece graduated in 3 years from a flagship university, and I think it was a mistake.

She had a lot of AP credits, and also did a relatively "easy" major (which was especially easy for her because she's very smart and hard-working).

Because she had full financial aid, there would have been no downside to have spent the 4th year taking some classes (perhaps getting a minor) with some practical aspects. Although she is close to her family, she was not open to receiving any advice on this topic, as she is very strong-willed and confident in her decision-making.

The chosen major was impractical, and she is now working in some dead-end jobs while she pursues a fun career. She started all of this age 21, even though college is a unique little period of life and not to be rushed (IMHO).

Graduating a year early doesn't sound like the problem...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child graduated from UMD a semester early and there were two cons. Housing the last semester was a little tricky to coordinate and there was no December ceremony.

My DS will graduate from UMD in Computer Engineering in two days one semester early.  He will finish his finals on Friday and he can't wait to leave UMD and start traveling for the next six months in Europe, Asia, and South America, with the tuition/room/board that we will give him, on top of a 50K cash gift from my FIL.  There will be a job waiting for him when he comes back from the trip.  There is no need to spend another useless semester in school for undergrad.  

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child graduated from UMD a semester early and there were two cons. Housing the last semester was a little tricky to coordinate and there was no December ceremony.

My DS will graduate from UMD in Computer Engineering in two days one semester early.  He will finish his finals on Friday and he can't wait to leave UMD and start traveling for the next six months in Europe, Asia, and South America, with the tuition/room/board that we will give him, on top of a 50K cash gift from my FIL.  There will be a job waiting for him when he comes back from the trip.  There is no need to spend another useless semester in school for undergrad.  

How nice for your kid, but most of us don’t get to play with $75k straight out of college

I am 46 and still haven’t made it overseas

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bad idea unless you are going into non-competitive professional school.

Utterly false. Every year a number of admittees with numerous Governor's School, AP and College courses enter UVA as second-year students. I know several. They graduate in three years and all have moved on to top law schools or MBA or Med school programs. If anything, such initiative is seen as a positive. There are several threads on this topic already here.

NP. I know virtually nothing about by kids' classmates academic status. Guess I should be a more involved parent.

[Anonymous]

My daughter graduated from UVA a semester early. She had a lot of AP credit coming in, so she didn't have to cram things in. She took a very normal (maybe even light?) course load each semester - 12 or 15 credits. She started medical school in the fall so it was great to have that relaxing 6 months before her life changed forever, lol. No cons at all.

That said, she did stay in her college apartment, so she was still able to do all the normal senior year activities, be with her friends, and have that sense of camaraderie. She worked about 20 hours per week. I think graduating a semester/year early and then jumping right into a job/grad school, or moving straight home, could be sad bc you miss out on a lot. But for her it worked well to do it this way.

[Anonymous]

I graduated 3 semesters early. I entered with 1.5 years of AP/DE credits, and took a couple classes at the community college for summer school to knock out some random lower level requirements.

I would look at it differently. You don't miss your senior year, you miss your freshman year. I was unable to study abroad because the only courses offered were low level classes that I had already gotten credit for. When you are a junior by 2nd semester, those high level courses aren't offered in the study abroad programs. I didn't have dorm mates to study with because while they were all taking intro level classes, I was taking the advanced ones.

It was fine, and I don't regret it--I graduated debt free and otherwise would not have--but i definitely felt out of place several times.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child graduated from UMD a semester early and there were two cons. Housing the last semester was a little tricky to coordinate and there was no December ceremony.

My DS will graduate from UMD in Computer Engineering in two days one semester early.  He will finish his finals on Friday and he can't wait to leave UMD and start traveling for the next six months in Europe, Asia, and South America, with the tuition/room/board that we will give him, on top of a 50K cash gift from my FIL.  There will be a job waiting for him when he comes back from the trip.  There is no need to spend another useless semester in school for undergrad.  

How nice for your kid, but most of us don’t get to play with $75k straight out of college

I am 46 and still haven’t made it overseas

dp.. yes, it is nice for that ^PP's kid. Why do you have to be so nasty. OP was asking why would people graduate early, and the ^PP responded. No need to be nasty.

DC went into college with 58 credits (not unheard of for their peer group of very high achieving kids). They are planning to graduate in 4 years with a dual degree and +1 masters. DC wanted to push themselves to do it in 3.5 years, but I told them not to do that and just take the full four years. There's no reason to graduate so early with that many degrees. But, I think DC just wants to start working and not be in school anymore. They prefer working to being in school, at least that's how they feel now. They may feel differently later when the reality of having a set schedule of 9 to 5, and no summer/winter/spring breaks bites.

[Anonymous]

I know several people who did this and did it myself--whether because of incoming college credits, AP credits, overloads, summers, etc. All had different reasons, including financial, family care issues, etc. I most admired a friend who decided to take a semester off in the middle and go overseas and work on a work permit at a restaurant in a busy metropolis--she said it was the experience of her life, it paid for itself, then she came back and graduated on time with peers at four years. At least some of those who graduated early felt a bit left out because of all the senior events, esp graduation (one came back and walked for the grand procession, secretly). If your DC might be someone who would connect with incoming class and be interested in reconnecting at later reunions, keep in mind that they might get put in the reunion-year bucket for the year of graduation, which likely is not the peers they know--though with persistence, you can sometimes get the alumni office to recode/peg you to the four-year graduating class year.

[Anonymous]

I also know several:

1. Graduated in 3 years because of the AP credits, majored in data science. Immediately upon graduation, started working as a data scientist making over $100K.
2. Graduated in 3.5 years with a degree in political science. Took 6 months to find a temp job and 4 more months to get a permanent low paid job.
3. Graduated in 3 years, took classes during the 2 summers during COVID, majored in animation. Upon graduation, started a low paid internship designing computer games and received an offer for a permanent position with the same company 5 months later.
4. Graduated in 2 years because of the numerous AP classes, majored in criminal justice. Upon graduation, started working for a law enforcement agency.
5. Graduated in 3 years, took a gap year, and then started a dental school.

[Anonymous]

I’m just hoping my kid finishes in 4 years! 😊