Colleges Consider 3-Year Degrees To Save Undergrads Time, Money

[AGDee]

I have a friend who graduated in 3 years and he was a TKE. Because his father had passed away, he was only eligible for Social Security payments if he started college full time before he was 18. Therefore, he had a full course load at the community college during his senior year of high school. With one semester already under his belt, a few extra credits each term and some Spring/Summer courses, he finished in 3 years. I could see this happening more as more students graduate from high school with a semester of college credits already under their belts due to AP courses/exams.

Personally, I think college was the best 4 years of my life and there's no real reason to rush to adulthood I don't want my kids taking too long either though, due to finances. 4-4 1/2 years seems reasonable to me.

[em_adpi]

Just my two cents here...

I just graduated in three years and was a relatively happy, active member of my chapter. I lived in my house for a year and half, took a little, was house RA and music chair, Rho Gamma, sang with my college's traveling choir, wrote for the school paper, produced/reported for the school tv station, worked off campus 5 of 6 semesters... busy as heck, but I made it work.

It was cheaper for sure, but I came in with 27 hours thanks to dual credit, AP classes, and taking classes at a local college my senior year of high school (as in HS in the morning, college in the afternoon).

People can definitely do this and still be active Greeks.

[sjsoffer]

Originally Posted by aephi alum

I agree with KSigkid. If you are bound and determined to earn a 4-year degree in 3 years, you're not going to be able to set aside much time for anything besides your studies. Forget sports, forget a cappella singing, forget leadership in any student organization - and forget pledging.

That's not always true! I'm graduating next May, which means I will have been in college for three years, with a GPA of 3.76 so far. I have two non-overlapping majors, and am active in my sorority and an officer in another organization. I also work two jobs. It's no problem if someone is dedicated enough for their organization!

[kapsigcub]

Would a 3-year degree fundamentally change your organization's undergraduate programming?

[myopicsunflower]

Originally Posted by sjsoffer

That's not always true! I'm graduating next May, which means I will have been in college for three years, with a GPA of 3.76 so far. I have two non-overlapping majors, and am active in my sorority and an officer in another organization. I also work two jobs. It's no problem if someone is dedicated enough for their organization!

You must have some mad time-management skills!

Many of the collegians I work with have very heavy-duty majors or double majors, work or have an internship, and are involved with the sorority and other time commitments. Honestly, they floor me.

I think that students who opted for the three-year track would be very organized with their time, and those who felt that they could handle Greek life on top of everything else would go through recruitment, same as anyone else. They wouldn't have as long a collegiate experience as students on the four-year track, but they would know that going in.

[PhoenixAzul]

See, I found that last year to be the most important year of my undergraduate career. The first three years were all about learning, topping up the tank. That last year was about growing into an academic in my own right. I was really busy as an undergrad- I worked part time (although I worked the 5am shift to make classes), I was involved in my sorority, I was on councils, I worked for the paper, I had two majors and a minor, honors college, training for a marathon and half-ironman, went abroad, was planning a wedding, planning my move overseas, getting ready for graduate school....and all of that was great for my time management skills. But I felt that at the end of 4 years I had done more than just build a resume, I built myself into a person I was proud of. I look back, and thinking about leaving OC at the end of my junior year (and I could have, if I'd dropped one major)...I would have failed at life. I had just had a revelation about my future career, had a revelation about where I wanted to live, and how I wanted to continue.

I don't know, it definitely works for some people, but I think that rushing through college just to save cash will short some students out of the essential life lessons and growth opportunities gained outside of the classroom. I know that's a bit Pollyanna, and it kills me to hear about students being limited by economic factors.

[fantASTic]

I wouldn't want to do this, but it seems EASILY doable. I think that any student should be able to finish in 4 years, and a 3 year degree is just regular classes plus both summer semesters. That's not a big deal. I mean, it sucks to take summer classes, sure, but it's not impossible.

To be honest, I'm not sure why so many students take 5+ years to complete 4 year degrees. Obviously some degrees, like education degrees, take more time but the AVERAGE degree is set up to be completed in approximately 4 years.

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by fantASTic

To be honest, I'm not sure why so many students take 5+ years to complete 4 year degrees. Obviously some degrees, like education degrees, take more time but the AVERAGE degree is set up to be completed in approximately 4 years.

It depends on the type of school you go to. Many private schools, even though they are more expensive, are set up in a way where you have to pass enough classes in a term in order to stay in school. I know that there was no way for me to have taken longer than four years unless I had taken a semester or year off, or if I had gotten a master's degree. We had no such thing as a "part-time" student, unless you had mitigating health or financial circumstances.

With state schools, however, you can take lighter or heavier loads at your wherewithal. Also, it seems at the smaller schools, you can't always get the classes you need to graduate when you want to take them. 5+ does seem excessive to me, but I think that's based more on my educational experience than anything else.

One of my close relatives took 3 years to get her BA, from a large public university. She took some summer classes abroad, but it was primarily because of AP/IB standing. She still got to do things like pledge a sorority and be active on campus. I had sophomore standing coming into college, but I decided not to take it. To each her own, really.