Ultra career students
 

Forget about those 4.5-6th year seniors, do you know anyone who's been in undergrad for 7+ years?

I identified a few of them today.

About 5 out of 25 in the Drumline when I was in drumline...some of them were music majors, which has reasons why people take a long time to compleate- namely 1-Hour courses that actually meet about 10-15 hours a week:Marching Band especially, but also orchestra, the top band and choirs, opera workshop, etc.

Also, I just know a few people that it took them 2-3 years in a major to decide they didn't like it.

Because of the time I spent as a music major & then decided to change my major, its going to take me forever to get a degree. Damn those music classes that took up more than 20 hours per week but only gave me 1 credit hour.

Freshman year my friend's boyfriend was a fifth year senior. Sophomore year after they broke up, I still saw him on campus.

My old roommate's husband is starting his 7th year of undergrad...

I know someone who never could decide his major, so he kept taking different classes and not his GEs, so he didnt graduate until year 8 (triple majored in East Asian Studies, Chemistry, and Physical Education)

There was a guy who was a junior when I was a freshman and was still there a couple years after I graduated (and no he wasn't in grad school).

There was a guy who was a member of one of the fraternities on campus who was a senior when I pledged and by the time I was a senior was still hanging out and going to exchanges and other events. We could never figure out if he was still in school or just liked hitting on sorority girls...:p

One guy in my house has been in school for 7 years now...and has 3 years left before he gets is B.S.

Granted that he keeps getting activated, but ten years is a long time to spend in school.

I know a girl who was there for six years, plus summer classes - never changed her major or anything. It was bizarre.

Why not just go to grad. school instead of lingering as an undergrad. for so long?

Because they were really "cool" in undergrad and think that if they just stay in college they will remain "cool"....at age 28. It reminds me of Al Bundy...haha

Haha, that's hot. "Hey baby, come here and try on some shoes," said the balding sophomore with a beer gut.

Because that would involve un-fun things like work and effort...

A couple of people I knew from high school have done the career student route, and for them I know that grades were a problem. There grades were high enough to stay in school, but too low to consider grad school.

Laziness is probably also a factor.

Tommy: You know, a lot of people go to college for seven years.
Richard: I know, they're called doctors.

Sorry, just had to contribute that.

Also, there's a guy at Hillsdale who we all know and love who I believe is beginning his 6th year, maybe his 7th. He played football and now coaches and is just taking forever to get through his major, which he changed at least once.

The people I know were barely smart enough to make it out of undergrad.

A good number of my friends graduated in four years; in fact, many graduated in less time, or finished multiple degrees in four years (dual degree program, BA/MA ,etc.).

That's how it was with my friends. I know very few people who stayed on for 5 years unless they were getting there Masters as well. I had one friend who amazed me the most because he triple-majored and still graduated in 4 years.

I'm actually a double major with a minor, and barring some horrendous screw-up, I'm out in 4 years, perhaps even in December of my sr. year (if that's the case I'll pick up another minor). If you don't take a "full" schedule (note: not a "full time" schedule..a FULL schedule) of about 16 credit hours, there's a chance you'll be here a while. I took 20 credit hours last quarter, and I've had no less than 18 since getting to OC. I'm 2 credits away from my art degree (Independent Study, and Senior Presentation seminar) and i'm through 2/3rd of my journalism degree. Gotta get working on that art-history minor.

Graduating in four years isn't that easy here either. I knew one person who graduated in less than four -- other than that, about one-third to half my friends graduated in four and the rest are taking 4.5 to six (the six are mostly pharmacy students, though, soo . . . they don't really count -- but five years isn't uncommon at all).

It really does depend on the school. When I went to Minnesota my freshman year, it was really easy to get classes. Even as a freshman, there was only one class I wanted that I wasn't able to get into, and I would have been able to get into it for my sophomore year. Here at Wisconsin? I have senior standing, and there are STILL classes I can't get into.

My ex-boyfriend's housemate was in his 7th year of school when he graduated. Too much partying!

I had a double major and graduated in 4.5, and the .5 was only because I was drunk my last semester and ended up with two incompletes that I had to finish.

Were they in a race? :eek:

I went past 4 years because I only took 9-12 hours per semester. Tuition was kind of expensive and financial aid did not cover it all. I was not in a hurry to graduate though.

There was a guy at UF who started college in ***1981*** and was still there throughout all my years there. (I started in 1996 and graduated in 2000 with a double major and then graduated from the law school in 2003)

He had a bachelors degree, some post-bacc work, masters degrees, had a little bit of law school, did an exchange program to london, and at some point got at least one PhD, maybe two, I forget. Last I heard he had managed to get some kind of grant and was a TA for a few classes. I am pretty sure he is still at UF.

It was insane. I don't think he could survive out of the college environment. He had all these grand ambitions to take over student government and it just got comical...watching him try and campaign to undergrads that were two decades younger.

I knew him from Blue Key, and he always seemed a bit little off kilter.

I wonder who generally foots the tuition bill for these Lost Boys?

I think that's sooo different than somebody who is a full-time student, though - he's talking half the credits, so he should graduate in twice the time!

I was looking through some documents at UGA and was saddened to find that there are some degrees that are designed to last five years! So, unless you're killing yourself, you'll be in for at least that long.

It took me 6.5 years to complete all of my undergraduate work - I did take some classes after my first bachelor's, however, so the length of time is somewhat inflated.

I'm a double major who could graduate in 3.5 years at a school where it's hard to get the classes you need.

Different situation, as I think the people we're all talking about are full-time students who just keep taking classes.

I can definitely understand where your boyfriend is coming from, though; I worked two jobs during college (often more than 40 hours per week). Luckily I came into college with a bunch of AP credits, and my supervisors were understanding of the fact that school always came first.

Ours is 12 credits to be full time, I'd say the average is about 16 credit hours, with 18 being the most you can take. If you want to take 18+, you have to have at least a 3.25 GPA and approval from your academic advisor. I, probably ill advisedly, took 20 (technically 21) credit hours in spring quarter, and it almost killed me.

I was definitely talking about the types who stay in college for 7 years trying to "find themselves". I apologize if it sounded like I was making fun of someone like your boyfriend (who sounds like he's working his a$$ off) :)

If I had unlimited financial resources, I would be a professional student. Work sucks!

Compeltely understandable - some of the people I knew during school couldn't understand why I couldn't go out some nights, when I'd either be A) Working at my second job or B) Have to be up early for my main job. Working during college, especially working heavy hours, is just not something that a lot of students understand.

I give him credit, it certainly sounds like he's working his tail off.

Ok, eventhough we're like a thousand miles apart, I wonder if he was the same crazy at my school. He started college in 81', has several degrees, and was obsessed with SGA. Maybe he attended more than one school. :confused: :eek: I have not seen him in a while, rumors was that he got suspended or expelled for being caught jacking off under the gymnasium's bleachers. He also threw a bookbag at a student.