Is graduating a semester early a rich kid trend?

[Anonymous]

I noticed a heck of a lot of family friends’ kids have graduated this month. Are kids just eager to get out? What’s the rush? As older gen Xers, my husband and I would kill to spend another 5 months back in undergrad. Is college still fun? I understand all the AP credits make this easier but I thought kids use the APs to carry a lighter load and boost the GPA or double major — not to get out of dodge ASAP.

[Anonymous]

They took a lot of Ap classes that transferred to college. It is a smart thing, not a class thing.

[Anonymous]

Many above average umc take AP classes and don't goof off

[Anonymous]

Gen z is smarter and better than x

[Anonymous]

It's a college is extremely expensive and graduating a semester early saves $40k thing.

[Anonymous]

My rich kid could but won’t because she wants to enjoy her last semester of college. Mildly annoying but I get it.

[Anonymous]

Like a PP, I had AP credits and met the graduation criteria a semester early. Not wealthy. I wanted to save my family money and get a job. First in my family with a college degree.

[Anonymous]

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.

[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.

+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.

[Anonymous]

I think I just read Columbia and/or Barnard has basically banned graduating a semester early because *so* many kids were doing it and it was allegedly messing up the university's projected budgets.

[Anonymous]

Really rich kids spent extra time in school. They also do gap years, hang out on the Z list of kids deferred from Harvard, etc.

Graduating early seems to be a donut hole kid thing, since they are the ones for whom time in college is the biggest burden.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think I just read Columbia and/or Barnard has basically banned graduating a semester early because *so* many kids were doing it and it was allegedly messing up the university's projected budgets.

I graduated law school a semester early, but was charged for my “missing” semester anyway. That’s one way to do it I guess.

[Anonymous]

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

[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.

You're spreading falsehoods. If the graduating early trend really is fueled by AP scores...
Data proves wealthy kids overall have far superior AP scores and are far more likely to take and sit for multiple AP exams. Poor and middle class kids don't tend to take many AP courses, and when they do they most frequently skip AP exams or bomb them with scores to low to count for college credit.

[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.

+1