From what I have been told, college is supposed to be the best four years of your life. It is four years of having fun, making connections and learning more about what does and does not interest you. However, the traditional four years is a long time, and it might not be necessary to stay that long. This May, I will be graduating from Saint Louis University with a Neuroscience degree after three years of undergraduate coursework.
When I first talked to my advisor about the idea of graduating early, he suggested that I utilize the extra space in my schedule which had been created by dual credit classes from high school by choosing a minor. I chose to minor in Healthcare Ethics, but I still felt like it was possible to graduate a year early. While it was possible, I still had to contemplate whether it was something I really wanted.
Graduating early has many benefits. It saves time and money, and you can start working and paying off student loans sooner. You could take some time to travel the world. It might be hard to find time for long trips once you have a full-time job. If you want to apply to graduate programs, you can dedicate your year after graduation solely to perfecting your applications and gaining non-academic experience. Even graduating a semester early can give you extra time to work, travel and prepare for the next stage of your life. However, some programs, like the medical scholars program I am currently in at Saint Louis University, do not allow students to graduate a semester early.
Planning to graduate early also provides some flexibility. I have many friends who decided to completely change their field of study after over a year of college, and most of them require an extra year or semester to graduate. If you already have a few core classes out of the way by taking them over the summer, it might be easier to switch majors and still graduate on schedule.
While graduating early could lead to great opportunities, there are definitely drawbacks. I needed summer classes, a few 17-18 credit hour semesters and carefully selected classes which fulfilled multiple graduation requirements at once to make it work. The past few years have definitely been busy, especially as a Pre-Med student who wants to make time for shadowing, research and volunteering. While I never felt extremely overwhelmed, graduating early may not be a great idea because of the potential burnout.
The most difficult part of graduating early for me is leaving my friends behind. While I have amazing friends in the class above me, I did not come to SLU with them and share the same freshman experience. There is something fulfilling about going through a journey together with your classmates. While I went on vacation for my “senior trip” with a few of my close friends, none of them were also graduating this year. I will miss frequently seeing my friends currently in their junior year. However, since I am attending Saint Louis University School of Medicine after graduation, I am sure I will frequently run into them.
Since I am not taking a gap year, my rationale for the decision to graduate early was to enter medical school sooner to save money on tuition and potentially start earning money sooner to help support my parents. As a medical scholar, I have already fulfilled the requirements for medical school and was accepted to SLU School of Medicine last summer. I already feel prepared to enter medical school with the experience I have, and I get to avoid spending another year with the stress of maintaining a GPA requirement for the program.
Is graduating early worth it? I think it depends on a person’s major and what they plan on doing with the extra time. Some majors and programs require classes which make it nearly impossible to graduate early, and if you do not have any specific plans for what you will do with your extra year or semester, it may not be the best decision. Everyone has their own path. It’s okay to spend more or less than four years in college. College is also an opportunity to explore, and it is important to ensure you have enough time for that if you are unsure about what you want to do next. However, if you are fairly certain about your future or you want extra time and money for other things, it might be a great option. While it may sound like a hassle, planning to graduate early can provide some much-needed flexibility, and I think everyone should at least consider this option.