{"id":8278,"date":"2018-09-26T13:58:18","date_gmt":"2018-09-26T19:58:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.petersons.com\/blog\/?p=8278"},"modified":"2019-10-31T10:00:56","modified_gmt":"2019-10-31T16:00:56","slug":"graduate-in-4-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.petersons.com\/blog\/graduate-in-4-years\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Graduate College in Four Years or Less"},"content":{"rendered":"

Everyone wants to graduate from their four-year college in four years, but the reality is there are plenty of ways students fall off track. According to the New York Times, only 41 percent of students complete their bachelor\u2019s degree in four years. An extra semester at college can cost thousands of dollars and wasted time, not to mention the fact that many students drop out after four years. <\/span><\/p>\n

This article serves to help you understand what those hurdles are so you can be prepared and on top of your degree path. With help from a college academic adviser and advice from a student who made it, you\u2019ll know what to do and when to do it so you can graduate on time.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Decide on a major\u2013or at least have an idea<\/b><\/h1>\n

While you may not know exactly what you want to do for the rest of your life at 18, which is perfectly reasonable, knowing what general field you\u2019d like to go into will help you start on track. For example, you may know you want to work in business, which is general, but a good place to start. You\u2019ll start by taking university required general education classes as well as core business school classes, which will help you figure out what specific area of business you may want to go into.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHaving somewhat of an idea of what you want to do aids to a quicker graduation rate,\u201d said Kent Conway, an academic adviser within the Daniel\u2019s College of Business at the University of Denver. <\/span><\/p>\n

Even if you do decide to switch your major, already knowing what department you want to be under will make the process a lot smoother and will help you to still be on track to graduate. <\/span><\/p>\n

Sophie Butler, a recent graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles, began her freshman year as a biochemistry major, but decided to switch to environmental science at the start of her sophomore year. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re both physical science majors so all of the prep courses were almost exactly the same. All of the courses that I took my freshman year for biochem actually still counted for all of my prep courses for environmental science. I was really lucky in that I didn\u2019t have any classes that didn\u2019t count for anything,\u201d said Butler. <\/span><\/p>\n

While you may not come into college with a clear idea of what interests you career wise, utilizing your school\u2019s career center can help you get there. Talking with a career adviser can help you understand what interests you have that can be relevant to the workforce. It\u2019s important to do this early, even before classes begin if possible, so you can dial in a department. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTo students, maybe the most important variable would be being able to solidify their major early on. The earlier they can declare and figure out what exact major they want to pursue, then it becomes easier to organize the plan and complete it on time,\u201d said Conway.<\/span><\/p>\n

Conway explained that most late graduations he sees occur because of a late change of major in the junior year, where the student has to try to catch up. <\/span><\/p>\n

Career advising can also help to find you an internship. Internships or other work experience taken early on can help you figure out what major and career you really want. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cQuite often after a student\u2019s first internship I ask how it went and they maybe disclose that it wasn\u2019t the greatest experience. A lot of times that\u2019s even more helpful because then you know what you don\u2019t want to do for the rest of your life and you can put that to one side and say \u2018I didn\u2019t love that internship but it taught me a lot\u2019 and then you can refocus your goals from there,\u201d said Conway.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Take a full course load<\/b><\/h1>\n

Consistently taking a full course load each quarter or semester will make it much more likely that you won\u2019t fall behind, as long as you\u2019re passing your classes. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEvery once in awhile, maybe in the very first quarter, a student might want to take a little bit lighter course load, maybe one fewer class to get their feet under them. And that certainly makes sense, but I usually emphasize that we don\u2019t want that to be a habit because that\u2019s how you get behind,\u201d said Conway.<\/span><\/p>\n

Find out what constitutes a full course load at your school that will ensure on-time graduation. This may depend on credits per class or unit, and whether your college is on a semester or quarter system. It takes 120 credits to graduate. On average, universities on a semester system require about 15 credits per semester to graduate in four years, taking about five classes per semester. Meanwhile, quarter systems require about 10 credits per quarter, so taking about three classes per quarter will put you just ahead of the game at 12 credits per quarter. Note that both of these approximations do not include summer courses.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Understand your university\u2019s requirements<\/b><\/h1>\n

While it takes 120 credits to earn a bachelor\u2019s, these credits must be comprised of classes required for your major(s), minor(s), and university core curriculum. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really important to make sure you have a strong understanding of what all of the different requirements are for your university because some of them are confusing and there tend to be so many different requirements that need to be satisfied,\u201d said Butler. <\/span><\/p>\n

She explained that much of this confusion comes from differentiating rules within and across universities on when certain classes satisfy multiple requirements. For example, a class may satisfy a major requirement as well as a university core requirement in some cases and not others. You can overlap classes for multiple reasons or requirements and this is a common occurrence, but there are limits and varying rules regarding this.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important to be aware of all of those different rules because if you can\u2019t have overlapping in certain requirements you can end up really screwing yourself over when you realize you needed more classes later on when you previously thought one class could count for many,\u201d said Butler.<\/span><\/p>\n

Butler credits her successful, on-time graduation at a school of over 44,000 students to her experience as an orientation counselor. After going through training on scheduling at her school and helping new students set up their schedules, she was able to set herself up for success with confidence. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI had a huge excel document that I created for myself at the beginning of my sophomore year with all of my general education requirements, all my language requirements, all my writing requirements, and all of the requirements for my major and for my minor. It was color coded and I checked things off as I went along. That really helped me stay on track,\u201d said Butler.<\/span><\/p>\n

She added that she also kept a list of all the potential courses that would fulfill each requirement. Butler\u2019s combination of having extensive knowledge of her university\u2019s graduation requirements was a major plus, but her ability to stay organized was the key many students can utilize. While not everyone will have such extensive knowledge, most colleges provide online documents detailing the requirements for each major and minor, as well as university core requirements. Start by creating an outline like Butler\u2019s yourself, then get it checked. If you don\u2019t know where to start, ask for help from a counselor or adviser in your department or one assigned to you.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Check with a counselor or\u00a0adviser<\/b><\/h1>\n

Colleges know that scheduling for students is confusing, especially in the first year, when planning out four years, and when trying to understand if the classes you\u2019re taking are satisfactory to earn your degree. There are many on-campus resources to help you get a handle on things. Many colleges will assign a general academic adviser to you your first year, and departments usually have their own advisers specific to the department\u2019s majors and minors.<\/span><\/p>\n

See also: Making the College Transition<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Conway explained that at DU, freshmen are required to take a freshman seminar, and the instructor of this course serves as the student\u2019s adviser. While connecting to your major adviser that first year isn\u2019t required, it\u2019s a good idea to get a better look into your specific major. Conway said that as an adviser to business students he reaches out to freshmen to build an initial introduction and asks students to meet with him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDuring those meetings I like to use an excel document that just shows quarter by quarter every class and at least build that out for two years if they\u2019re not sure which major they want, just to show those core classes that will be taken in the first couple of years,\u201d said Conway. \u201cIf they do know exactly what major, maybe even map out a four year plan. Of course it won\u2019t end up being exactly the same the way they actually take it but it definitely helps everyone visualize the time frame that we\u2019re looking at.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Deciphering which classes count for which requirement is no easy task, and not everything shows up in the school\u2019s system the way you think it ought to. This is definitely a case where you\u2019ll want to reach out to an adviser.<\/span><\/p>\n

Butler recounted her senior year when she was unable to take a certain course she planned to take and sought out help from her major adviser.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI went into him and he actually just helped rearrange what credits were applying for which requirement and was able to fix my problem without me having to take any more classes because I had taken enough, it just wasn\u2019t registering correctly on their systems,\u201d said Butler.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another important component is differing departments. For example, if you\u2019re majoring in a science but minoring in liberal arts, your major adviser may not be as knowledgeable on classes required for your minor. So, if you\u2019re majoring or minoring in multiple disciplines, it\u2019s also a good idea to meet with an adviser in each of these departments and check in periodically to make sure you\u2019re fulfilling all requirements. This may mean you meet with your general or major adviser every quarter or semester before registering for your next classes, but double check your schedule with those other departments.<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Fill in the gaps as needed<\/b><\/h1>\n

Of course, if you go to a large state school like Butler, it isn\u2019t always a matter of you not wanting to take a full course load or certain classes so much as it\u2019s an issue of not being able to get into the classes you need. She recalled that her biggest concerns going into UCLA were getting the intro classes she would need.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll of the intro classes like chemistry and life science and math classes are so impacted by so many different majors that it was worrying that I wouldn\u2019t be able to get into the ones that I needed to,\u201d said Butler.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is the case for many students, and taking additional courses over the summer is unfortunately something many must do in order to graduate in four years. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of students had to take classes the summer after our senior year and I would say the reason a lot of students at UCLA are able to graduate on time is almost everybody that I know took summer classes at least one summer that they\u2019re there if not more,\u201d said Butler.<\/span><\/p>\n

Butler said that some students did this preemptively as they knew it would be difficult to complete their coursework in time. Butler said she fulfilled her language requirement abroad one summer partially to free up more time during the school year. Of course, this adds financial burden as summer courses are not usually included in tuition. However, this can also be used as a tactic to graduate a quarter or semester early, as not all classes are offered every quarter\/semester, but the class you need may be offered over the summer. Talk to your adviser to see if this option works with your schedule. <\/span><\/p>\n

Another option for students is to earn AP<\/a>, CLEP<\/a>, or DSST<\/a> credit by passing these tests and effectively transferring credits to the university they choose beforehand. See if you can take any AP courses in high school and which courses are right for you. You can also take a CLEP or DSST test before or during your enrollment at the university if you have pre-existing knowledge on a particular subject.<\/span><\/p>\n

Completing a four year degree in four years sounds simple, but various components of scheduling cause many students to get off track. Poor understanding of requirements, too light of course loads, failed classes, and unavailable required courses can all cause setbacks in a student\u2019s degree path. While these setbacks do happen, there are ways to be proactive and set yourself up for success. Understanding the common issues and resources available to solve these problems will help you stay on top of your academic plan, meet your requirements, and successfully graduate from college within four years.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Everyone wants to graduate from their four-year college in four years, but the reality is there are plenty of ways students fall off track. According to the New York Times, only 41 percent of students complete their bachelor\u2019s degree in four years. An extra semester at college can cost thousands of dollars and wasted time,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":8282,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[1701,428,3482],"class_list":{"0":"post-8278","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-colleges","8":"tag-graduate-in-4-years","9":"tag-graduation","10":"tag-liberal-arts","11":"ad_tags-top100"},"better_featured_image":{"id":8282,"alt_text":"graduation caps.","caption":"","description":"","media_type":"image","media_details":{"width":1920,"height":1280,"file":"s3:\/\/pcom-wp-media\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/10123828\/commencement-3595854_1920.jpg","sizes":{},"image_meta":{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","keywords":[]}},"post":8278,"source_url":"https:\/\/wp-media.petersons.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/10123828\/commencement-3595854_1920.jpg"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Graduate College in Four Years or Less | 5 Key Steps<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Understand what the setbacks are and how you can stay on top of your academic journey to graduate college in 4 years. 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