Ultra career students

[GeekyPenguin]

Originally posted by jharb
My boyfriend would be one of these so-called "Lost Boys". He's been in undergrad since 2001 and he's just barely a junior. His thing is that he works 40 hours a week and takes 6-9 credit hours a semester. Sometimes it's not just that they want to stay in forever, it's that they are trying to make things work.

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!

[preciousjeni]

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.

[ADqtPiMel]

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.

[PM_Mama00]

At my school, in my department, you need 120 credits to graduate. So many of those are pre-reqs, electives, and your core classes. Full time is 12 credits, some people take 15 cuz it's cheaper, but the most you're allowed to take is 18, which is RARELY ever done.

[KSigkid]

Originally posted by jharb
My boyfriend would be one of these so-called "Lost Boys". He's been in undergrad since 2001 and he's just barely a junior. His thing is that he works 40 hours a week and takes 6-9 credit hours a semester. Sometimes it's not just that they want to stay in forever, it's that they are trying to make things work.

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.

[PhoenixAzul]

Originally posted by PM_Mama00
At my school, in my department, you need 120 credits to graduate. So many of those are pre-reqs, electives, and your core classes. Full time is 12 credits, some people take 15 cuz it's cheaper, but the most you're allowed to take is 18, which is RARELY ever done.

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.

[KillarneyRose]

Originally posted by jharb
My boyfriend would be one of these so-called "Lost Boys". He's been in undergrad since 2001 and he's just barely a junior. His thing is that he works 40 hours a week and takes 6-9 credit hours a semester. Sometimes it's not just that they want to stay in forever, it's that they are trying to make things work.

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)

[Lady Pi Phi]

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

[KSigkid]

Originally posted by jharb
You don't have to apologize, but people don't realize that he works on top of going to school. I've had sorority sisters make nasty comments when they found out that he's a year older than me and still in school. It's a joke that he'll be 30 before he finishes his undergrad but with this semester he's working second shift (3-Midnight) and it's hard to do classes during the day when the ones in his major are more evening classes. So he's taking this semester off and focusing on work. He's switched majors which hasn't helped him out much and sometimes school falls to the side when he has more important things going on.

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.

[Dionysus]

Originally posted by G8Ralphaxi
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.

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. 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.

[Buttonz]

I know a few that it took 6 years, but not 7+!

[aephi alum]

I do know a few people who took 5-6 years to finish their undergrad degrees, but not 7+ ...

I also know a guy who took twenty years to finish his doctorate. He lived in a graduate dorm that whole time, and he had the best room in the place, because no one could get even close to his seniority points.

[PM_Mama00]

I just remembered my best friend/lil sis will be there 7 years. She's an early childhood major which is already a 5 year program, and she was like biology or something like that before for like 2 or 3 years.