The undergraduate experience has traditionally always been advertised as a four-year experience, but in actuality, most college students take longer than that to graduate with their degree. According to a report by the Department of Education, less than 40 percent of undergraduate students graduate college in four years.

In actuality, according to the same report done by the Department of Education, almost 60 percent of students take up to six years to graduate with their bachelor’s degree. As the cost of a college education continues to rise, these numbers are particularly alarming. Recently college graduates have been attempting to buck this trend in favor of graduating early.

At universities all over the nation, students are now looking at the possibility of graduating early as an alternative to having to pay for additional semesters of schooling. Seniors at California Lutheran University have begun to use this approach for a number of different reasons.

Vance Cramer graduated from Cal Lutheran this past fall semester, and he cited that early graduation seemed like the most logical decision to make.

“I was able to take some summer courses at the junior college back home my first couple of years here, and that really put me in a position to be able to graduate early,” Cramer said.

The experience of going to college is a once in a lifetime opportunity for most people, and most people would love to live it up for as long as they can. Nowadays, as the economic landscape is changing, many students are trying to fast track their graduation as much as possible.

“I know a lot of people who try to load up their class load every semester just so they can graduate as soon as possible so they don’t have to worry about paying tuition anymore,” Cramer said.

This statement rings extremely true for those who attend a private institution such as Cal Lutheran where the tuition for the 2014-2015 school was $37, 980, according to the office of Financial Aid website.

Graduating a semester early not only can save students money in the short term, but it can also create an opportunity for students to start graduate school early or to join the job force earlier than initially planned.

“Graduating early is something that I am looking into doing and something that I think more and more college students are looking to as an option,” said junior business administration major Justin Bloom. “There are a lot of people enrolled in school who are career driven these days.”

A lot more students are seeing the benefits of finishing up school rather than staying for another semester just for the sake of the college experience.

“I love being in school, but the fact of the matter is that if the opportunity to move forward and start the next chapter of my life presents itself, it would be hard not to jump at the chance,” Bloom said.

I second those statements given the way the job market has turned out recently. Any little advantage you can give yourself over the next person should be taken to ensure your future and well-being. Especially given all the time and money you have put into your future. One shouldn’t sacrifice the opportunity to better oneself just for the sake of a couple more nights out.

Alix Moise
Staff Writer
Published March 18th, 2015