<p>You could factor in a helicopter parent too. A student that doesn’t have the best of organization or time-management skills could learn those through a first semester with a helicopter parent around.</p>
<p>Most of my friends finished in four years. One finished in three and a half. She took 18 credits each semester and squished them all in. She went on to med school and figured the extra semester of tuition was better spent there.</p>
<p>One finished in seven because he drastically changed his major three times. He changed it during his forth year, during his fifth year, then back to the original one during his sixth. He worked through college too and wasn’t full time each semester so he wasn’t on the four year plan anyway… </p>
<p>One had a scheduling mix up with our advisor… He had one required class left in our major and the advisor told him it would be offered in the spring… Turned out it was a fall only course so he had to take one class in the fall and finished a semester late.</p>
<p>Another finished in five years but she was a dual major and it took a little bit longer for her to get her classes in.</p>
<p>Other then that, all of my other friends from college finished in four.</p>
<p>So basically don’t change your major, and be aware if what classes are offered when. I planned all of my courses out at the very beginning the best i could. </p>
<p>Sent from my DROID BIONIC using CC</p>
<p>Agree with the above post about how changing majors can set back graduation date, as can not having correct info about when courses are offered and not getting INTO the courses needed for graduation. Getting correct info about courses is a crucial duty that the student should re-check, as an extra semester or year can be quite expensive and exceed the student/family budget. </p>
<p>At some/many Us, enrollment in courses can be somewhat to extremely limited as well. Students need strategies on what to do if the course(s) needed is/are filled (e.g. go and speak with instructor, show up at course and ask to be put on waiting list, attend all classes and hope instructor lets you in). It is the squeaky wheel that gets the course, all things being equal.</p>
<p>Kim…easy peasy. We clearly told our kids that we would fund four academic years of college…eight semesters, or 12 quarters…and not one minute more. Any courses taken outside of this time frame (including summer courses) were on THEIR dime. They listened…and graduated in four years.</p>
<p>And if a class is full or you don’t have the prereq, don’t be afraid to ask. I had two teachers write me in to their classes because i was going out of order and didn’t have the prereqs done. The worst that can happen is they say no.</p>
<p>Sent from my DROID BIONIC using CC</p>
<p>Good suggestion fendergirl–I had to do that once in college too and the prof was very willing to help. He said that he has at least one person drop each semester anyway so it all worked out in the end.</p>