llthze

I entered my first year at a Public Ivy straight out of high school with enough credit hours to qualify as a sophomore -- this without AP credits. I'm taking a full course load (three lower-divs, two upper-divs) and managing high 90s in everything except in Greek, in which I have a 94. By the end of this quarter, I will have junior standing.

I have completed all of my GE requirements and have even chosen to take several foreign language rather than test out of the requirement, just so I can take more courses. I am already halfway to the unit cap. Hence, it simply isn't possible to stay for four years.

Moreover, by the end of this year I will have completed all the prep-level coursework for my major, as well as five classes out of the ten I need for my two minors. I am beginning undergraduate research in the spring and will be able to begin my honors thesis in the fall, when I have senior standing.

Therefore I could very easily graduate in two years. This without overloading on courses but still getting the full bang for my buck, so to speak. I would still be participating in several internships, volunteering and mentoring in the community, and holding several leadership roles in on-campus organizations. I am not trying to rush through college -- I planned efficiently and will be taking classes which interest me, rather than busying myself with expensive intro classes.

My family does not recieve financial assistance and is paying for everything, so I would like to lessen some of the burden on them, particularly as I intend to go to grad school.

The grad school I am interested in has a partnership with a well-regarded law school which would allow me to graduate in two years with my Master's and JD with a significant grant by the time others from my year are finishing up with college.

Tl;dr I can graduate in two years and my advisor looks upon this favorably, shall I do it?

Thank you!

llthze

I would like to add that the longest I could possibly stay is three years, but I would have to take the absolute minimum course load to drag it out that long.

romanigypsyeyes

Take the three years. You'd have to ask profs for recommendations after only a year this way... Too soon generally.

CalDud

I knew a guy who did the whole math and physics curriculum in three years. Although he 4.0'd everything, he did not get into a single grad school. His recommendations were probably too general. Make sure you spend a good amount of time trying to cultivate relationships with your professors.

ucbalumnus

Note that you also have the option of staying 2+1/3 or 2+2/3 years (assuming a quarter system school), as well as 2 or 3 years.

b@r!um

My take: if finances are a concern, graduate as soon as you comfortably can. If you need more time to cultivate relationships with professors, you can take a gap year after college and stay on campus auditing classes and working with professors informally. Such arrangements are not actually all that uncommon.

spectastic

i agree with graduating and then working. At my school, there is a cap with how much you can remain an employee after graduation. But not all of it has to go on paper. If you can commit yourself fully to assisting your professors and support yourself with the hourly wage, then you should have plenty of opportunities to get good letters.

llthze

I think I will apply to grad school midwinter next year and see how I do. If I don't secure a decent funded program, I may just stay on, complete graduate coursework, do research, and apply again the following year. Thank you all! If you have any more advice, I'd be welcome to hear.