Is graduating a semester early a rich kid trend?

[Anonymous]

Many reasons... job offer of big money ($150k or more) is hard to turn down. Also, School is expensive.

[Anonymous]

I’ve worked in higher ed for 25 years. Well over half of all low and middle income college students never graduate. Transferable AP credits (3s 4s and 5s) are largely an upper middle and rich kid thing, sadly. Graduating early is typically a savvy move by striver upper middle class kids who leverage APs and maybe one semester of summer courses.

[Anonymous]

DD is going to graduate either a semester or a year early depending on study abroad timing and credits, so we're having this discussion now. There are many repercussions. She also skipped a year in primary school and will graduate at 20 or having just turned 21. She had 33 credits entering college because of her AP's.

In this scenario how do you not graduate early if you're maintaining full time status? Answer: go to Dartmouth or Harvard where they don't give you any credits for AP's, no matter what your score.

But for the rest of us, isn't this one of the purported benefits of the AP program? Don't the AP's add up to your first year in college, taken in high school?

There's got to be some reward for "the most rigorous course load." Isn't the degree the thing? Why would you stay and accumulate more credits than you need?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve worked in higher ed for 25 years. Well over half of all low and middle income college students never graduate. Transferable AP credits (3s 4s and 5s) are largely an upper middle and rich kid thing, sadly. Graduating early is typically a savvy move by striver upper middle class kids who leverage APs and maybe one semester of summer courses.

... to save money and time. If college were fully funded by scholarships of course they would stay extra. College is so expensive now.

[Anonymous]

I graduated in 3.5 years. I was stupid. Years later I wondered why I was in such a hurry to be an adult with a full time job, cooking for myself and bills. I now say the smart ones took 5 years to graduate college. But, it helped college was pretty reasonable in cost back then.

[Anonymous]

Not a rich kid thing... a thing to save money! College is expensive, dude.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I graduated 3 semesters early because I was poor, not because I was rich. I wouldn’t let my kids graduate in December because it’s the wrong time for the job search markets for top entry level positions.

I graduated from Masters program in December, and it was totally fine. I interned for a big 4 consulting firm in the summer before graduation. They gave all interns a full time job offer with a start date of their choice - January or June, depending on their graduation date.

[Anonymous]

My DD loves college; hates HS home town. Too many bad experiences. She may be going to summer school to simply stay where she is happy instead of coming home for the summer. I am ok with that. Will be great if she can graduate early.

[Anonymous]

I do not know any low or middle class kids who've done this.

I do know a half dozen or so upper middle class kids who've done this. I just think they were just in a hurry to be "adults" - some kids are just wired that way. I'm certain it was not because they were trying to save their parents' money. There's also status with finishing early, right? It projects heightened maturity in both the ability to successfully wrap up your studies quickly and also being totally over the college debauchery phase of your life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:AP credits. IB rarely counts unless you get a 7, maybe.

You have NO clue what you are speaking about, none.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I graduated 3 semesters early because I was poor, not because I was rich. I wouldn’t let my kids graduate in December because it’s the wrong time for the job search markets for top entry level positions.

+1. Exactly. The rich kids are happy to hang out in school with their parents paying the bill. It’s the poorer ones who want to get their degree ASAP and get out and get earning.

. I know more than a few “rich” kids who pay full freight graduating early because of the tuition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gen z is smarter and better than x

Generation X didn't have all the AP offerings that Gen Z has.

Gen x dumb as rocks, boomers dinner than rocks

So what does that make someone who can’t even type with their thumbs?

[Anonymous]

I always thought I’d it as a poor kid thing. They want to save $ on the last semester.

[Anonymous]

DD graduated a semester early. Better job market in her field in December. And a semester's worth of tuition in her pocket. We saved that money for her. What she earned in scholarships and by graduating early is all a part of her nest egg now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if kids who do this will regret it 10 or 20 years down the line? Like that whole eager to grow up thing, undergrad is soooo lame and passe.

...then in 20 years you realize how much fun and carefree college was.

Don't get me wrong, rather have our children graduate early than take 5 6 7 years to finish. But I don't really get the rush to finish and leave campus in 3 or 3.5 years.

Well, we know for certain that kids who take 4 or 5 years with 6 figures student loan debt regret it every single day, so...