When faced with the decision of graduating early, I was at complete crossroads. On one hand, I wanted to enjoy my time in college and make as many memories as possible; on the other, I wanted to make practical use of my time and prepare for the future. This decision had me distraught for weeks and I knew I had to choose quickly because I needed to register for summer classes based on my decision. So I read every blog, watched every TikTok and talked to any person who had any amount of advice on graduating early. Here is a bit of what I’ve found:
The Pros
- Take a Gap Year
- This may not apply to everyone but if you’re planning to pursue more education, graduating early gives you the opportunity to take a gap year. For me, the plan has always been law school so this was a factor I took into high consideration. A gap year gives me time to take the LSAT while just enjoying a little break. Even if you’re planning to work straight after college, you could still do a gap year of sorts and take time to travel before throwing yourself into the working world. By graduating early, you’ll be able to take a gap year and still be on track to follow any original plans.
- Financial Cost
- We all know paying for college is no joke. The expenses are comical and students are charged for every little thing. On top of that, if you are in a big city the cost of living is through the roof. At UCLA, if you aren’t living in student housing (and honestly even if you are), rent is insane and the only affordable option is cramming three people into a tiny little room. Graduating early eliminates this cost and opens up the possibility of living wherever you want.
The Cons
- You Might Miss Some Memorable Moments
- Now, this is the obvious downside that most people bring up when discussing early graduation. You’ll obviously miss some really valuable moments with your friends (a major one being that you won’t be able to graduate together!). Beyond the obvious experiences missed, you might also lose some valuable learning time. The extra year could be allocated to a major or minor you’ve always been interested in or maybe even taking the weird classes that fill up too quickly. Graduating early will certainly take away from many experiences, but you have to ask yourself: are they worth the extra year?
- Heavier Workload
- If you’re not on track to graduate early because of transferred credit, you might need to manage a heavy workload in order to reach this goal. This might require you to take multiple courses for every summer session or to petition for extra units during the regular school year. This added stress can be tremendous and managing your workload is one of the major factors to consider while making your decision. You’ll be pushing yourself to the maximum and possibly rushing too much when you do have the option to take your time. This heavy workload might cause you to miss out on a bunch of fun opportunities and even put your GPA at risk if it becomes too much to handle.
Now, you might be thinking that I’ve just leveled the playing field and not helped in the slightest. However, all of these pros and cons don’t have to apply to you. You might not need the extra classes or you may be against gap years. Whatever it is, pick and choose what applies to you. These aren’t all the factors to consider either. It seems like a million small pieces are factored into this life-altering decision and anytime I come close to choosing, someone brings up a new point. Ultimately, the decision is up to you because no one knows you better than yourself and no one is gonna look out for you the way that you will.