I was in college for seven years total, but I finished with two degrees and a teaching certificate. I was also involved in two co-ops and student teaching; the biggest reason, though, was that I was working during the entire experience, and I wasn't able to take as many classes as I could've if I'd not been paying my own way through. I don't regret it because I graduated without debt, but I wanted something better for my own children.
My daughter, who is currently a college student is on track to graduate in four years, and we've talked about this. Of her six good girlfriends who headed out to college together, three of them are on track to graduate on time (and two of them are doing a semester abroad). Here's what she says on the subject:
- Yes, lots of students don't take enough classes to get them through school in four years. Some of this may be due to working or family responsibilities, but my daughter tells me that the vast majority of her college friends don't work. This seems odd to me since when I was in school pretty much everyone worked. She and I think the vast majority just don't plan well; they've been taking four classes in high school, so they figure that's good for college too -- but, in reality, if you're going to graduate in four years, you need to take 5 classes most semesters.
- In their first year or two, MANY of her classmates simply didn't grasp the idea that they need to take specific classes to graduate and if they register for the wrong stuff, no one's going to stop them. After all, in high school, your counselors prevent this from happening. She's very on top of this kind of thing, and her roommate asked her to help her figure out which science she should take -- my girl said, "Take Class A. It will work for your major AND it will fulfill a general degree requirement, leaving you more options in future semesters." The roommate said, "Nah, I really don't want to take either one, but I think Class B will be more interesting." Her faculty advisor signed off on it without question, but then the very next semester she realized that she needed to take Class A anyway! Wasted classes like that end up costing time.
- In their first year or two, MANY of her classmates simply didn't hurry to register as soon as their classes "opened up". Rather, they just figured it'd all work out. My niece did this, and she wasn't able to get into a single one of her major classes in her first semester -- so she registered for a bunch of electives. Great fun, but not so profitable in terms of progressing towards graduation. In contrast, a couple times, my daughter has been unable to get into a class . . . but she checks the online schedule like a hawk, and she has ALWAYS been able to make changes. The best day to look for classes opening up, she says, is the day after tuition is due. It's very sad that someone didn't pay on time and was dropped from Chem 201 . . . but that now-empty spot is going to go to the person who bothered to check.
- Many of her classmates don't look for ways to optimize their classes; for example, my daughter has taken advantage of the option to take one elective a year pass/fail. It removes some pressure to do well in one class. However, she says that some of her friends have been surprised to realize that this is an option. It makes me want to ask, Why didn't they read all the details provided by their college?
- Many, if not most, of her friends have changed majors or schools at least once. Even though it's probably the right choice, this typically costs in terms of time. Choosing well in the first place could elminate this issue.
- Many departments have their classes set up in such a way that if you fail a class in the fall, you're not able to pick it up again in spring . . . you have to wait 'til fall again. This isn't particularly new -- it happened to my husband in his engineering classes back in the 80s, but it's more prevelent now.