How long did it take you to graduate from undergrad?

[dmb1785]

How long did it take everyone to graduate from undergrad?

[dmb1785]

Uhh, can someone elaborate on their votes? Interesting data here.

 

For the 5+ people, can you guys tell me more about your exp?

[TakeruK]

I took 5 years to finish my Honours BSc in Canada. I was in a co-op program where you have to do 16-20 months of full time paid work in your field (either in research or industry) and 8 of those months must be during the school year (i.e. most people take a fall semester, winter semester, and 2-3 summers off to do this). During these work terms, you are also allowed to take 1 course per semester if you are working close enough to school. This was really helpful for me to gain more research experience (and LORs) when applying to grad school but also, the 16 months of full time work helped me pay my tuition. The majority of my classmates also took 5 years. Many of them were on the co-op track like me, but for many others, the extra time was because people changed their majors (or added a second major/minor), transferred from a non-degree college (after 2 years there), or couldn't take 5 courses per semester due to competing interests (usually having to work to pay for school, or involvement in student government, varsity, other responsibilities etc.). A small fraction actually did have enough credits to graduate after 4 years but took an extra year to get a better foundation for graduate schools. A lot of times, the 5th year was very light on courses and most of the time was spent on a research project / honours thesis.

 

I was in a Physics undergrad program and pretty much every single one of my friends took 5 years. I don't think this hurt us at all and the department/school doesn't care as long as we retain full time status (3 courses/semester) and they would rather us take more time if we needed it to do well. All of us that took 5 years are now in MSc/PhD programs, Law school, or Med school, so I think it all worked out!

[dmb1785]

Thanks for the reply

[RubyBright]

I chose to stay the full four years and double major instead of finishing early.

[theologyofyourface]

I did it in four years, but my husband took NINE years to finish undergrad, and he didn't have any problems getting into his grad program. The schools where he applied understood that he took so long because was a first-generation college student who had to work full-time in order to pay his own way, with no help from parents or loans.

[PorcupineTree1985]

I took 5+ years (9 to be exact!). I worked full-time and took classes off and on from the time graduated high school until 2010. At that point I left my career to pursue college full-time.

[Tuck]

I finished undergrad in three years through a combination of CLEP credit, summer classes, and taking a heavy course load year-around. I also graduated high school early, so I was 19 when I finished college. For personal reasons, it was the right thing to do at the time and it was what I had to do. The school workload, in combination with multiple part-time jobs I had on the side (waitressing, restaurant work, tutoring, lab gig at a nonprofit, and teaching SAT classes in various combinations over those 3 years) was great for developing a sturdy work ethic.

 

Speaking strictly academically, I wish I had stayed longer, explored further outside my major, taken classes outside my comfort zone, and explored opportunities for study abroad, etc., but I didn't have the luxury of doing so. Fortunately, I've been in a position to do some of those cool things later in life: I've taken 31 hours of classes on various subjects of interest in the past 2-3 years, done some volunteer fieldwork here and there, worked on research projects in Interior Alaska, traveled abroad several times, and lived aboard a 27' sailboat.

 

My (unsolicited) advice to people considering graduating early:

 

Academia provides a great framework for expanding yourself and exploring. There are so many opportunities to do whatever you're interested in just waiting to be seized. After college when you're working, you may have to hustle harder to make learning opportunities happen, and family, bills, jobs, relationships, and all manner of completely unexpected circumstances can get in the way. It's okay to graduate early, but it's wise to only do it if you have to.

Edited March 4, 2013 by tuckerma

[abeilles]

I finished in 3.5 years, but only because I had the credits and couldn't afford another semester. I definitely would have stayed longer if I could have!

[Grev]

I finished all the course work for two majors in 3 years, and then opted to do a year of "post-undergrad" because at 20 I didn't feel mentally or emotionally ready to be done with undergrad.

 

This was possible due to insane good luck.  I walked in with nearly two years of college credit through a combo of AP testing and splitting my last two years of high school between that and classes at the state university in town.  I also double majored across the Sciences/Humanities divide (Math and Spanish) which let me count some in-major classes towards the university's general ed requirements.  Additionally, I took a full course load year round (no summers off), and was able to do homework at my campus job.

 

Having been That Kid, I'll say I don't think it is at all necessary to push so hard and so fast to get through undergrad, or even your Masters.  Though I'll admit I have no idea what people do during the summer if they're not in class

[dmb1785]

Any advice for someone who may have to go an extra summer or semester..

[juilletmercredi]

What kind of advice are you looking for?  Taking an extra semester or summer isn't a whole lot different from any of the prior semesters you've had to finish.

 

FYI, I finished in the standard/traditional 4 years.  I don't think finishing in 5 or even 6 years raises too many eyebrows especially if you double-majored or had a setback early on, or took some time off. But I think taking longer than 6 years and being enrolled continuously sort of raises some eyebrows unless you have a compelling reason (like attending part-time and working to put yourself through school, or - in my husband's case - taking a break for military service).

[Andean Pat]

Hi!!! My undergrad course was pretty long too. 

 

Here you don't start with general courses, you directly enrol in history, which is awesome. In theory, the program is 4 years long but nobody does it because you have to take around 4/5 optional courses (besides the regular ones) which is another semester. When you finish sitting for all final exams, then you can start writing your thesis.

 

Most of us here work at the same time, usually full time, so it is very difficult to keep with regular courses. I did everything on time, but it took me three years to do the research and write my thesis so I did the whole thing in around 8 years!!! I feel I have a master's degree!!! (joke joke)

[dmb1785]

Omg I have to finish in 4 years. I'm going to deflate my school's graduation rate T_T

Edited March 6, 2013 by dmb1785

[daydreamer254]

I finished in five years thanks to some hard classes that I needed to retake since I withdrew from them.

[Queen of Kale]

It took me 13 years (and I dropped out twice) but I got into every program I applied to.  In my case, I honestly believe everything came down to fit, as well as showing that taking my sweet time figuring out what I wanted to do and making it work was worth it in preparing me for what comes next.  Or, I'm on some sort of Truman Show like set-up and everything was rigged because I'm an unwitting TV star or something.  Bottom line: do what you need to do to be the best student AND person now AND when you finish.

[Monochrome Spring]

I'm finishing in 3, and I'm actually finding that to be a disadvantage. I don't have as many years to take more courses, to do internships, to take advantage of undergraduate resources. I recommend not rushing through it (I came in with a lot of units already, so 3 is my max I can stay).

[Chai_latte]

4.5 years.  I changed my major pretty late.  Admissions committees didn't seem to mind at all.  Not all of us know what we want to do/hit the ground running at age 18.

[Guest Gnome Chomsky]

Anywhere between 5 and 6 for me. I'm finishing my fifth year now and will most likely come back for my sixth. I actually could've graduated in 3 years and originally had planned to since I didn't start college till I got out of the military at 22 (and I felt I was old). Anyway, I went full-time the entire 5-6 years. I did my first 2 years at a community college then transferred to a university. I took nothing but random classes (in hard and soft sciences and liberal arts). I finished my community college in the traditional 2 years with my associate's (could've finished earlier if I decided to ever take a summer class). When I got to my university, I still didn't want to have to choose a major so I started going toward this general degree (liberal arts and humanities) while still taking math and hard sciences on the side. I had the credits to graduate with the general degree in 4 years but decided to stay 2 extra semesters (summer and fall) to get a linguistics degree. So in 4.5 years I could have graduated with a double major in general studies and linguistics, but then I decided to stay another semester to get a TESOL (teaching English) certificate. So in 5 years (now) I could graduate, but I'm gonna come back for my sixth year to take care of some math and computer science pre-reqs that might come in handy for grad school. By the way, it may have been better to graduate a year ago when I was able to and continue to take classes after graduation, but I decided to not graduate because through the military I get paid to go to school. 

Edited March 7, 2013 by JoeyBoy718

[student12345]

Just two for my BA in Mathematics from a private university in the northeast (you can bet I saved a lot of money here!). This past summer I was stuck deciding between transferring to another undergraduate program with more classes (as I had finished the undergraduate curriculum in my field) or simply applying to graduate school (as I would also finish the first-year PhD sequence at my school by the end of the year while feasibly preparing for my GREs and some research projects). In the end I decided to apply to PhD programs—only those which I would be very happy about attending. If this application season didn't work out I would be okay studying for a couple of years outside of any degree-granting program, and I am sure I would be safe following that path. Indeed, having only a year's worth of coursework on my transcript (and only one semester's worth for my major courses) was a major cause for concern, and I always assumed I would not get into any program.

 

Miraculously I am now stuck deciding on which of my offers to accept. I had many things working for me which overshadowed the negatives. Applying this year was a very risky move and I wouldn't recommend that anyone else follow in my footsteps; not to mention the risk I took by blowing off my advisor's warnings about not having the right prerequisites to justify my insane schedule this year. Play it safe and I am sure you will fare much better in the admissions process; this was just what I felt was the right decision for me at the time. 

Edited March 8, 2013 by kimolas

[Chui]

6 1/2 technically.  I didn't try very hard in high school, and only decided to give higher education a shot after a year and a half of retail and construction jobs.  I went to my local technical college, which is a tech branch of a small state school.  Took 2 1/2 years to complete an Associate's degree in a field I hated and would never get a job in where I live, so I decided to pursue my true love (History) at the small state school.  4 years later, I'm graduating college at 25.  I've been accepted to 3 of the 4 MA programs I applied to, including a full assistantship at my first choice.

[jrockford27]

I took 5+ years, well about five and a half years.  I was working full time, and trying to be in a touring punk rock band, neither of those things are very conducive to a brief undergrad career.  So early on when I was just getting my generals I took a few part-time semesters. No regrets, really.  I tied a lot of my work experience into my personal statements and I think it helped my application.

[thunderchunky]

It took me about 6.5 years. I worked full time pretty much the whole time and took anywhere from one to four classes at a time, depending on the session (I sped up near the end because I was getting fed up). It also took me longer because I had a 30-credit minor in addition to my major concentration.

[sansao]

It took me 13 years (and I dropped out twice) but I got into every program I applied to. In my case, I honestly believe everything came down to fit, as well as showing that taking my sweet time figuring out what I wanted to do and making it work was worth it in preparing me for what comes next. Or, I'm on some sort of Truman Show like set-up and everything was rigged because I'm an unwitting TV star or something. Bottom line: do what you need to do to be the best student AND person now AND when you finish.

Agreed. I took 8 years, largely due to health issues. But I did finish cum laude in the end. I think my main issue last year was how horribly I addressed this. That is, don't use a third of your SOP to explain it. Just say it happened, it sucked, and how it's fixed or addressed. If you're a good fit and worked to sort it out, faculty won't look down on you for having problems. But they will look down on you for obsessing about your issues to the detriment of your file. Also, I think over-sharing can be the death of an application.

Edited March 16, 2013 by sansao

[k3ithk]

Well I was enrolled for 3 years total, missed a year in the middle, so I got my degree after 4 years, but I'm currently at the same place taking grad and undergrad classes and going elsewhere next year. So 3/4/5 depending on how you look at it.