When I was registering for my second semester at CU, I went to meet with my advisor to ask her some questions about classes, and I came out of that meeting with answers very different from those I was expecting. As she looked at my file in our meeting, she turned to me and said, “Did you know that you can graduate early?” and, after my initial surprise, when I asked how early, she said a year. I hadn’t even considered the possibility of graduating early, but at that moment, a whole new track for my life (or at least for the next few years) opened up.
My registration time was literally the day after the next, so I had to make this decision super quickly. I didn’t have much of a chance to ponder over the decision, which I’m grateful for now because I think I would have gone back and forth too many times. Right after my meeting, I called my mom, told her the news, and later that day, I had a family phone call with both of my parents to discuss the pros and cons of graduating early. Ultimately, I ended up choosing the three-year route. Was it worth it? Here are some pros and cons I considered. These may be different for everybody depending on several factors, but these are what went into my decision.
The Pros
- The most obvious pro, at least for me, is that I can save over 30 thousand dollars, which was a huge incentive for me to graduate early. I am very lucky that I don’t pay my college tuition, but if I could help my parents save thousands of dollars, I would do it in an instant.
- I want to go to law school in a few years, and this way, I get to have some work experience under my belt before going back to school, which I’m not sure I would’ve gotten to do with the four-year path. This will also allow me to see if I would rather stick with a career in finance, in which case, I will go back to school in a few years to get my MBA.
- I took several AP classes and AP exams in high school, so it felt like a waste of time and effort not to take advantage of my hard work and ability to graduate early.
The Cons
- At the time, no one saw it coming, but Covid took away a portion of my freshman year, so I didn’t get the “full college experience.” Moreover, the semester/year that followed (Fall 2020-Spring 2021) was remote, which also didn’t have a super college-y feel to it.
- I am very young (I’m not 21 for another month) and I feel that sometimes, people don’t take me as seriously in professional settings because of my age. However, this can also be a pro because I am getting a head start and I have so many opportunities to change my mind and explore what I like in a career/job.
- Most of my friends and all of my roommates are juniors, so we won’t all get to experience our senior year together.
- I’m likely moving out of state for a job and it feels very sudden and real, and I will miss my friends and family. Most of my friends at CU I’ve known for years prior to college, and it feels strange that I won’t be able to see them every day.
- I don’t feel ready to be part of the real world, but then again, I think most college seniors feel this way too.
My reasons may not be overly convincing, but this is all very subjective and they are different for everybody. At the end of the day, I’m glad I chose to graduate in three years, and I feel that it was the best decision for me. Although I will miss my friends and family dearly and I’m sad about the potential events I will miss out on, I am excited about the opportunities that my first “Big Kid Job” will offer me and for the new friendships and relationships that I’ll make after college. Honestly, I feel that I’ve exhausted my time at CU, and I can’t imagine being here another year. Of course, I do wish that there was no Covid (as does everybody) and that I had three “normal” years of college, but I wouldn’t be the person I am without this college experience. I got the most out of it, including studying abroad, and it was worth all the overloading and stress. I really do believe that I made the most of my three years at Boulder, and graduating in three years was worth it for me. But, you have to decide for yourself if it’s worth it for you.
