Graduating on time????

#16
6 years, i don't think anyone pays attention to how many years it took. nobody in the real world is paying attention to that. i think they'd rather hire a 24 year old than a 22 year old anyhow. maturity counts, and is a consideration as well.

just keep it going, nobody is going to judge how long it took.
 
#17
I finished with 2 degrees in 4 years- so what? My parents would have kicked my butt if I took any longer, and since they were paying for it, I had no choice but to finish in 4.

The point is, you'll finish college, and that's what matters. You've heard the statistics, I'm sure, about how much more a college graduate will earn in a lifetime as compared to a high school graduate. You have your eye on the prize and frankly, I work in HR and all recruiters care about is that you finished. There is no right or wrong way to do anything in life! Please remember that and stop beating yourself up. Soon enough, all any interviewer will care about is that you have your degree. Think about how great it'll feel to walk across that stage and please stop comparing yourself to others- your path is your own and you're figuring it out the best way you can, and this is how you ended up here. You'll be just fine!
 
#18
IntelSetCongrats! I'm a 4.5 year finisher, dual major + study abroad as well, the half a year lapse was when I was taking care of a family member like you mentioned in your post. Taking a full load every semester wasn't horrible but it definitely was challenging. There were people in my classes that were on the 10 year plan and I thought that was just crazy. Most of these people either took long breaks or a couple courses a semester though.

Then there is the whole job thing that has come up in this thread. I was lucky enough to have my family fund my entire life so it wasn't an issue to take as many courses as I wanted to. If I had to work full time to help pay for school I probably wouldnt want to work all day and then worry about finals for 6-8 classes.

I have no children as well so that frees up a LOT of time. I think the dynamic of university life in Hawaii has started to shift to a mix of the younger generations and parents who are going back to school. I have to say that in some of my night classes I was the youngest person there and the only one who did not have children or was not married.

As for the issue of employers looking down on 5+ year graduations, I don't think it matters in Hawaii really. Everything is so laid back here, when you're on time you're early, when you're 10 minutes late you're on time lol. Not EVERYWHERE, but I think in contrast to the continent people are more relaxed. "Hawaii time" and all. I've lived in CA and prefer the atmosphere there, or even in DC.

Good luck to everyone on the brink of graduating! I'm getting my MBA now and I'm a year and a half away, I can only hope I graduate on time. It seems classes fill up a lot sooner in graduate school:cursing:
 
#19
Never been too fond of school? That actually raises a red flag to me...I don't want to make any quick assumptions, but it sounds like you haven't found what you're truly passionate about, yet. I really think that you should speak with an academic counselor so you can find what you're good at and what you want to do (career, extra grad school, etc...). I know it's initially hard (believe I've been there), but once you speak to the counselor about this, you'll feel so much better and more confident in your school decisions...and you'll feel less guilty about taking longer to graduate.

I don't think you should feel ashamed about not graduating on time. I had friends who are taking 1-2 years more, but they had good reasons to stay longer: studying abroad, extreme difficulty getting into major classes, taking up extra majors/minors, etc. Some of them are one of the most intelligent people I've met, and I'm confident that they'll do well in the workforce/grad school. I actually had the option to graduate in 3 years, but I stayed for 4 to do an honors thesis (and I was told it wouldn't look good for grad schools if I just stayed for 3)...truth be told, I think what matters most to your future is that you gain skills and knowledge in a field that you're passionate about...not forcing yourself to study something that you never liked to begin with.

Take your time, think about what your interests are, and work from there. :smile:
 
#22
I graduated on tiem and changed my major my senior year. I am graduating with my masters this week. three years after receiving my undergradaute degree and my masters is a 48 credit degree
 
#23
IntlSet said:
I got two degrees in four years.

If you want my honest opinion: anything more is a waste of time and money. I hauled butt to make sure that I didn't have to spend an extra year dwaddling. I went to a large public school (a University of California) where it was often difficult to get the classes you needed, but I managed to do so anyway, for two majors. I also managed to squeeze in studying abroad.

I don't think it's a good thing for an employer to see that it took 5 years to complete one degree. This is just my experience: a lot of people told me it doesn't matter if I get one degree or two, if I graduate in four years or five. But the reality was that all my interviewers were impressed that I mushed two degrees into four years.
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ummm...i think she's already pretty down on herself, i dont think she needs to hear that employers care that she's taking longer when we all know that in reality, they dont.

I think your doing great! Hey, i'm 21 and I just started college last year because of my 2 kids. Believe me, once i graduate and go job hunting i am going to be PROUD that I was able to get my degree no matter how long it took me!!
 
#24
I think everyone moves through college at their own pace. I could have graduated in 3 years, but I had a scholarship and figured, hey, what's another year? I do sort of regret that because I didn't accomplish much that last year. But that's just me, if I still felt at that point like college was a productive experience for me, I would have absolutely thought 4 or even 5 years would have been worth it. Heck, I'm in a 7 year degree program now and am planning to take 8 years to complete it - my advisor even encourages me to consider 9. This is still a good place for me in terms of my career and the knowledge that I'm building. So what's 8 or 9 years? There's no standard number of years to finish, and though there are obvious financial considerations, you shouldn't feel pressured to hurry up and stop learning in college for the sake of it. Take care, you're doing well so far!
 
#25
IntlSet said:
I got two degrees in four years.

If you want my honest opinion: anything more is a waste of time and money. I hauled butt to make sure that I didn't have to spend an extra year dwaddling. I went to a large public school (a University of California) where it was often difficult to get the classes you needed, but I managed to do so anyway, for two majors. I also managed to squeeze in studying abroad.

Did I lose anything from not taking a 5th year? Absolutely not... I graduated with the same classes and knowledge under my belt.

I don't think it's a good thing for an employer to see that it took 5 years to complete one degree. This is just my experience: a lot of people told me it doesn't matter if I get one degree or two, if I graduate in four years or five. But the reality was that all my interviewers were impressed that I mushed two degrees into four years.

I totally apologize if it sounds like I'm tooting my own horn! I don't mean to do that. I just want to be honest because I feel like this is something a lot of people won't say. The fact of the matter is, whether you go to a large public institution or a small private school, it should not take you more than 4 years to finish one undergraduate degree. In every instance, with the only exceptions being students who had to drop out for a quarter or semester due to family matters, the students who failed to finish on time just didn't devote enough to their studies.

If you want to continue schooling, I suggest a graduate program -- not continuing along in undergrad.
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waste of time and money??? um OK.

curious to know what was your major?? ART??? seriously. Any legitimate major takes awhile to complete.
And if you did two complicated ones in four years, then more power to you. But, that is DEFINITELY NOT THE NORM. For an AVERAGE person, completing one major takes approx 5years and thats without summer school. I was a double major and had a minor and it took me 5 years at Uc Berkeley. My majors were not easy..finance and econ with a minor in policy sci and it only took me five years because I went to summer school EVERY YEAR so I am not sure where you went to school or what your major was ( most, majors like art,women studies, social and life sciences are easier....let me not even get started on majors like liberal arts..are those even legitimate??)

anyways, to the OP..dont fret..dont rush through school and get mediocore grades, instead take your time and get good grades. Employers dont give a damn how long it took you to graduate, they care about your grades and performance. Good luck.
 
#26
aindy360 said:
waste of time and money??? um OK.

curious to know what was your major?? ART??? seriously. Any legitimate major takes awhile to complete.
And if you did two complicated ones in four years, then more power to you. But, that is DEFINITELY NOT THE NORM. For an AVERAGE person, completing one major takes approx 5years and thats without summer school. I was a double major and had a minor and it took me 5 years at Uc Berkeley. My majors were not easy..finance and econ with a minor in policy sci and it only took me five years because I went to summer school EVERY YEAR so I am not sure where you went to school or what your major was ( most, majors like art,women studies, social and life sciences are easier....let me not even get started on majors like liberal arts..are those even legitimate??)

anyways, to the OP..dont fret..dont rush through school and get mediocore grades, instead take your time and get good grades. Employers dont give a damn how long it took you to graduate, they care about your grades and performance. Good luck.
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...every major is what you make of it. I know art and women's studies majors who have worked incredibly hard. I don't think it's right to say their degree was any easier to get. :nogood:
 
#27
I graduated on time, which is rare for the other people I graduated HS with who had my same major ... we have to spend a whole semester in an internship. I probably should have taken more time, because after a year in my current field, I went back and got a masters to do something different. although, I don't know if another semester would have made me realize that. but, I did have to take summer classes every summer to graduate on time.

my BF is graduating with his bachelors after 7 years this summer. it took him 5 years to get his AA (although he did get an AS in paralegal studies too). he REALLY knows what he wants to do now though because he took the time to figure it out.

so, don't beat yourself up if you don't graduate on time. :biggrin: although, be careful of financial aid, BF's aid was canceled for the summer because technically he's taken too many classes. he had enough money to pay for the 2 he had to take, but now he is scrambling to find any kind of job so he can make car/insurance payments, etc.
 
#28
I think it took me five years to get my bachelor's degree. My first semester I only took two classes though to ease into it. I started college early when I was 16 so I guess I actually graduated early when you think about it.

I was in court reporting school for seven years, no breaks. There is no "on time" for CR school though. I knew many people who were (or are) in for ten-plus years.

Time doesn't matter as long as you reach your goal!

Oh, I should add also that I had a full-time job all through regular college and CR school.
 
#29
Wow, I had no idea this would become such a touchy topic. :Push: But thank you, everyone, for sharing with me your thoughts and experiences - ALL of your opinions are appreciated. I find myself constantly switching majors is all, along with transferring to different schools, just constantly worrying about "settling" with something I will be "stuck with." I know I know, your major can have no relation to where your career path may lead. At the same time, I admit that I have not been able to commit school to be my 1st priority for a number of reasons. Regardless, I understand what everyone is trying to say: that basically, to each his own. Just do what ya gotta do.

So, thank you, everyone! If anything, just for reading this. I do know what I have to do, it's just sometimes all you need is to feel like you're not alone in a given situation. To those who have offered me this, you have my gratitude. :tender::flowers:
 
#30
MzSHERRY said:
I was just curious to see how many of you with a college education took longer than the general 4 years to graduate. I have never been too fond of school and it just seems to be dragging on forever and ever. I will be going on to be 2 years behind my graduating class and I just feel so crappy about myself.. and was wondering if anyone could share some experiences of pearls of wisdom with me. :crybaby:
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I'm going to ask you what my father asked me when I first dropped out of college and cried about being behind. Who are you competing with? Things come up, things change, majors change... whats wrong with taking more than 4 years? It took me MONTHS to realize that the only person I'm in a race with is myself. Its hard to look at your education and think of yourself as being "behind everyone else". But what's the big deal? How long you take is up to you and how long everyone else takes is up to them. As long as you get it done, who cares?

My brother took 5 years to graduate and while he was job searching a few months ago (he just graduated this month) he had numerous large corporations fighting over him and not once did anyone ask him, "Gosh, why did it take you 5 years to complete your 4-year degree?"
 
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