The Six Year College Plan – An Increasingly Popular Option
In the popular college movie Animal House, one of the biggest laughs comes when John Belushi’s character, dismayed over his expulsion from college, blurts out, “Seven years of college down the drain!” In the 1970s, seven years of college may have been unheard of, but by today’s standards, Bluto’s statement might not be so funny. The College Board reports that college students are taking an average of six years to complete their undergraduate degrees, if they graduate at all. In 2007, only 37 percent of students obtained their bachelors degree in four years. Perhaps most alarming though is the fact that graduation rate after six years is only 57 percent, meaning 43 percent are either spending more than six years in school or, more likely, never finishing their degree at all.
Why is the average college student taking so long to finish up his or her studies? The answer is multifaceted.
One of the most problematic factors in the six year college plan is the high rate of transferring between schools. Approximately sixty percent of students transfer schools at least once in their college career. Usually this can be attributed to a poor match between the student and the school. Perhaps the college doesn’t offer the major the major the students wants or the school is too large for the personalized learning the student needs or the social scene doesn’t match the student’s personality. Regardless of the reason the student leaves, the new school may not be so understanding, especially when it comes to transferring credits between schools. If, for example, a student transfers from a large research institution where they took many technical or pre-professional credits into a liberal art school, those pre-professional credits may not count, especially if they are not in a field offered at the new school.
A unique group of transfers, the community college student transferring into a four year program, faces some similar challenges. Community colleges sometimes have great articulation agreements with four year schools, but the student should make sure that the articulation agreements are with schools that they are interested in attending because schools outside of the articulation may not recognize your credits. The best thing students and their parents can do to avoid the transfer trap is to make sure the fit is right the first time. Many students are unaware of their own preferences or can become overwhelmed by the sheer number of colleges available to him or her. Taking the time to seriously consider and assess one’s talents and interests before selecting a college will likely save time and money in the long run.
Another persistent problem lies with the school itself. Students are usually asked to complete a series of general education classes or distribution requirements, as well as the requirements for their own major. At large schools or even at smaller schools with a limited faculty, students can be shut out of the classes they need to take and thus end up spending an extra year or two at the school just to complete their requirements. Other times the advising system is so poor that students become confused by which courses do and do not count towards these requirements. Naturally, colleges do not like to advertise this problem so parents and students will want to be vigilant about understanding exactly what requirements need to be met and have a through understanding of the steps that need to undertaken to get these done on time. A professional with through knowledge of the academic programs at individual universities can be invaluable in understanding this issue.
Finally, sometimes slowing down is the key to ultimately speeding up your college degree. Taking a year off to work, have an enrichment experience, or even spending a postgraduate year at an independent school can sometimes help students graduate within the four year time period. Some students may find that going to college requires them to work to gain more money. If this is the case, students may be better off staying at home and working full time for the year to save money rather than trying to work and go to school at the same time which often results in poor grades and reduced class loads. Other students are burnt out and overwhelmed once they graduate high school. If these students continue onto college they often do poorly or feel their educational experience is not worthwhile causing them to drop out or transfer schools. Just one year or even one semester pursuing work or an enrichment activity can often give these students the time they need to relax. Many highly selective colleges, recognizing the burn out factor, have began offering spring admission to students they feel could benefit from taking a semester off. At some schools, the student can chose whether or not they want to be admitted in the spring, at others students who apply for regular fall admission are asked to wait until the spring to begin their studies. If this not an option, most schools also offer the chance to defer admittance by one year ensuring that the student eventually gets back on the track to college.
Finally, many students have not gained the maturity needed – socially, academically, or otherwise – to move onto college at exactly eighteen-years-old. Although parents are inclined to immediately push their children onto college, a better solution may be giving them the space they need to grow. A year or two off to work, enrich themselves, or even gain a fifth year of high school experience as a postgraduate student at an independent school, may be just what these students need to eventually succeed and complete their college studies in four years.
Article by M. Fitz
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agreeing w. erik (( comented above )), the main reason for student transfering has a lot to do with the cost of college. i also plan to transfer colleges eventually.
The money it cost to go to school probably is the main cause of it, it’s not cheap that’s for sure.