<p>i think you are making a lot of assumptions in the above post. keep in mind that people who have the determination to take extra classes and graduate an entire year early, are usually the same people who are extremely motivated and able to handle a lot of things on their plate. as mentioned earlier, i graduated in 3 yrs at the top of my class and did pretty well this cycle. i had to take extra classes every semester, but still managed to have 3 internships (2 of which were at bulge brackets), a volunteer position, and a social life. </p>
<p>now could i have done more had i graduated in 4 years - probably. but did i do more than most of the other kids who do take 4 years to graduate - probably. it can just as easily be argued that the kids who are motivated enough to finish early are the same ones who are more mature than everyone else, and it is from this maturity why they understand that an extra 30k a year isnt worth it, and if one is motivated enough, the same experience can be had in 4 years.</p>
<p>this is certainly anecdotal evidence, but from the several people who i know who graduated in 3 years, they were all of the above type, in that they accomplished more in 3 years what many kids do in 4.</p>