Bye bye to 5th year seniors? - Page 2

33girl · #1 06-13-2002, 09:58 AM

Boo, UGA, boo!

Believe me - there are very few people I've known who stay in school just to avoid the real world - it does cost money after all! Yes there are people who hang out in the town and still live a "student existence" without going to class, but that is another story.

carnation - didn't you say UGA instituted some kind of free/reduced tuition program to keep students in-state? Seems it was a little too successful.

#2 06-13-2002, 01:28 PM

On the opposite side of this, St Norbert College in De Pere, WI has instituted (or was talking about instituting) a guarantee... if it takes you longer than 4 years to finish your degree, they will pay for the rest of the time! No tuition! Granted there are stipulations, they'll only pay for it if it's their fault you couldn't finish in 4 years (classes you needed were full or unavailable, etc) but still... that's sweet!

RubberSoul · #3 06-13-2002, 01:44 PM

If schools want to eliminate students taking more than 4 years to graduate, then they better be prepared to shell out the bucks for more staff......I could have graduated on time if every requirement for my major wasn't always closed out by the time I was allowed to register. There is nothing more frustrating than not being able to get the classes you need when you need them. Of course, this also means that schools going this direction will probably raise tuition......

FuzzieAlum · #4 06-13-2002, 02:56 PM

When I was a senior applying to colleges, I did not apply to the big state schools in Oregon because the information I got from them said it was impossible to guarantee graduation in four years due to difficulty getting into classes. Uh, no thanks!

Where I ended up going, getting into classes wasn't a problem - the worst thing anyone encountered was getting into a section at an inconvenient time. Nevertheless, a lot of folks took five years for what I think are perfectly valid reasons:
-co-op their junior year (we had a lot of engineers)
-double degrees in disparate field (systems engineering and English, for example)
-they were part-time students

Of course, I do know folks who just took forever ... one guy took six or seven years, and one of the impediments to his graduation was this math class he had to take about four times. He kept flunking not because of a lack of brains but because he never, and I mean never, went to class. I can see why universities might want to discourage this, but in general if students are taking five years, it is because of a perfectly valid reason. And if that reason is that the university is screwed up, they shouldn't make the students suffer!

AlphaGam1019 · #5 06-13-2002, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by 33girl

carnation - didn't you say UGA instituted some kind of free/reduced tuition program to keep students in-state? Seems it was a little too successful.

I'm guessing you're refering to the HOPE scholarship. Anyone that graduates with a 3.0 or a B average (this can differ as with my high school a 80=C) from a Ga high school gets free tuition to any state college in GA. You have to keep a 3.0 though!

carnation · #6 06-13-2002, 05:02 PM

The HOPE Grant pays your tuition, as long as you keep a 3.0, for--I think--126 semester hours. Thus, the people who are staying more than 4 years are probably financing their educations in other ways except for the part-timers.

AOII Brandi, it seems like Georgia Southern did say something about school taking more than 4 years at the freshmen parents' meeting. With this many children in college, Mr. Carnation and I are hoping it won't!!!!

dzrose93 · #7 06-13-2002, 06:21 PM

My brother is at Georgia Tech right now, and he was told flat-out when he registered that it would take him about 6 years to graduate with a civil engineering degree. My parents weren't shocked. After all, they had already seen me go 5 years. I think most schools in Georgia will tell you that the idea of a 4 year degree is pretty non-existent in the state now.

AlphaGam1019 · #8 06-13-2002, 07:42 PM

I think GT is particularly bad. They don't seem to schedule enough classes-- delaying everyone getting finished "on time."

Kevin · #9 06-13-2002, 08:20 PM

I'll be starting my 6th (and final thank God) year in the fall.

I've changed my major 3 times. I was probably 1/2 done with a business major and decided it wasn't for me.

I'm a better well-rounded person because of it and feel I'll have a more well-rounded education than most people graduating with a corporate communications major.

AlphaChiGirl · #10 06-13-2002, 11:23 PM

I thought the reason that most people didn't graduate from Tech in 4 years was due to co-ops. When I was thinking about Tech for undergrad, that was an issue--that co-opping would add AT LEAST an extra year to my time.

It seems the large Southern state schools have the biggest problem with 4-year graduations. I only know about five people who graduated from UF or FSU in four years--and that includes summers or larger loads. Where I go, you're out in four years--it's impossible NOT to have the credits, because if you're behind at ANY point during your time, you're placed on academic probation. The only way you can extend it is if you've done the 5-year plan for Master's work.

phikappapsiman · #11 06-13-2002, 11:31 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ktsnake
I'll be starting my 6th (and final thank God) year in the fall.

I've changed my major 3 times. I was probably 1/2 done with a business major and decided it wasn't for me.

I'm a better well-rounded person because of it and feel I'll have a more well-rounded education than most people graduating with a corporate communications major.

I agree with you, ktsnake. This will be my fifth year (although I only need one more quarter, so it's more like my four and 1/3 year). I changed my major THREE times, from engineering, to pre-med, and now I am the fuzziest of fuzzy majors-Sociology

How this happened, I do not know-one day in was in this class dealing with race and relations, and I LOVED it!!! I got an A, so I said "This is for me!". What will I do after college though? Either law school or biz school, or working retail!

"Will that be cash or charge?" See, I'm ready already!

Kevin · #12 06-14-2002, 08:33 AM

If you look at transcripts of people that graduated 20 years ago they didn't require near the number of courses to graduate. One 'well rounded student' proposal through your congress or the state board of regents after another is the main reason that we are in school so much longer these days.

juniorgrrl · #13 06-14-2002, 09:24 AM

I was able to finish in four years (could have been 3.5, actually) because i had an assload of advance credits. 8 hrs spanish, 4 hrs french, 3 hrs history, 6 hrs english, 3 hrs physics, 3 hrs 'tard math. So basically I was a sophomore before I even started. LSU has a program called Spring Testing where HS seniors planning on attending and that have a certain ACT score (25+) can come take the placement tests. Thats how I got my language, math and science credit. The rest came from AP (I rocked the english language test - go me!). So i had very few general ed requirements to mess around with.

My boyfriend had much less advance credit than I did (he didn't take as many languages in HS, or AP tests), and he nearly didn't graduate in 4 years. Stupid "well rounded" general ed crap kept him from getting a minor in computer science, with his major being electrical engineering. He was going to try and do the minor but it wouldn't fit with all his general ed stuff. The school refused to substitute a 3000 level programming class for a 1000 level psych class. Its so stupid. He was asking to get credit for an easier class after taking a much much harder one. So he just gave up the minor and finished in 4 years.

Actually, a lot of my friends finished in 4 years. TOPS (similar to the Georgia HOPE grant) was a great incentive - after 8 semesters the money runs out!

aephi alum · #14 06-14-2002, 11:09 AM

Hmm... thinking back, I think the only reason I was able to get through school in 5 years (combined bachelor's/master's program, plus a minor) was my AP credit. A LOT of people take an extra semester or two to finish.

This isn't quite the same thing, but I knew a guy with a serious case of "perpetual student syndrome" - it took him somewhere around 20 YEARS to do his doctorate.

carnation · #15 06-14-2002, 11:36 AM

Ktsnake, you turkey! We did too have to do the same amount of courses 20 and 30 years ago!

As a matter of fact, I got really mad when I looked to see what horticulture majors have to take at Auburn now. Back in the day, we had to take math through calculus, chemistry through organic, and a bunch of botany courses that were really hard--the prerequisites were organic and several biology courses. Now they have such an easy curriculum..arrggh!

I would've had a 4.0 if that's all I'd had to do!