ON COLLEGE CAMPUS

TAKE FOUR

Graduating on time has financial and professional benefits

By John Scarffe

Want to graduate from a good college or university and do it with the least amount of debt possible?

Then take the advice of experienced university and college staff members. Just take four years to graduate. Lengthening your time in undergraduate study past four years will cause you to accumulate more debt – and that’s debt beyond just tuition costs.

Tammara Durham, director of the Freshman-Sophomore Advising Center at the University of Kansas, said, “Students who graduate in four years save money because they are not having to pay cos ts associated with extended semesters in college like meals, transportation, lodging and tuition.”

Marlesa Roney, vice provost for Student Success at KU, said graduating in four years is the best use of resources for both the student and the university.

“I think it is absolutely beneficial,” Roney said. “It’s the best financial aid plan that students could possibly have. It saves a substantial chunk of change, if you will. They need to get out on the job market and start earning some money. Some students want to stretch out this time of transition in their lives and delay entry into adulthood. While they’re doing that, bad habits can be established – like not successfully organizing their lives or not getting out of bed in the morning. Instead, they need to establish self-discipline during their college years, and that will help them become responsible adults after they graduate.”

Timely graduation also is a key component of student success. In higher education, you will develop and perform your best under conditions that both challenge and support your endeavors. By setting a goal of graduating in four years, you will become more engaged in the learning process.

The prevailing philosophy at Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa, is that students will graduate in four years. In fact, says Joyce Stern, associate dean and director of academic advising, Grinnell awards financial aid for only eight semesters, and if students want to stay longer than that, they have to submit a petition.

“Most students do graduate from Grinnell in eight semesters, and the students know that when they decide to come here,” Stern said.

At Baker University in Baldwin, Kan., students pay a flat fee for between 12 to 18 hours of credit, so it’s to their advantage to take up to 18 hours per semester – usually 15 to 16 per semester.

“The earlier they finish, the earlier they foray into the professional world,” said Lisa Johnston, assistant dean of student academic services at Baker. “Even with some initial academic difficulties, if students take 15 or more hours of credit each semester, and maybe a class or two in the summer, they should be able to graduate in four years.”

Well, that’s good advice, you may be saying to yourself, but how do I do that? How can I graduate in just four years? Here are some tips.

Work on it Now!

Believe it or not, part of your success in college has to do with what you do now – while you’re still in high school.

“It’s never too early to start exploring a major,” Durham said.

Lisa Pinamonti Kress, director of the Office of Admissions and Scholarships at the University of Kansas, says the process of preparing to graduate from a college or university in four years can start as early as ninth grade.

All throughout your senior year, critical deadlines will come and go, so you need to find out admission and financial aid deadlines for your college and university choices and apply before those deadlines. Selection is so competitive that being late even by a day or two can keep you from being awarded scholarships or from being admitted to your schools of choice, Kress said.

Both the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley and Baker University, for example, recommend that students apply during the fall semester of their senior years. Students applying to UNC should receive an admissions decision about two to three weeks after they apply. Once students have been accepted they may go online after November 15 and complete their housing contracts. The financial aid priority deadline at UNC is February 15, and the Universal Scholarship Application is available between November 1 and March 1. Baker’s due date for priority consideration of financial aid is March 1.

Grinnell offers “Early Decision” dates of November 20 for a January 20 reply from the College, or January 1 for a February 15 reply. The “Regular Decision” date is January 20 for a May1 reply from the College. Applications for financial aid and scholarships are due on February 1.

At the University of Kansas, applications are due on January 15 for scholarships, and April 1 is the final deadline for freshman admission. Students must file the annual Free Application for Federal Student Aid by March 1 to receive priority consideration for limited-funded financial aid programs.

While you’re in high school, you also should:

• Take college preparatory classes -- “The more advanced classes they are, the better off you are,” said Johnston at Baker.
• Take courses for college credit your senior year through “College Now,” continuing education or other programs.
• Take as much math as possible in high school. If you are not prepared for math, try to take an intermediate math course at a community college or through continuing education before your freshman year at a college or university.
• Meet with your high school counselor to begin selecting a major.

Attitude

Okay, so you got prepared in high school and got admitted to the school of your choice. What should you do next?

First, be mentally prepared for the college experience, Lisa Johnston advises. “Come to college with the idea that you will graduate in four years,” she said.

Marlesa Roney suggests that students need to focus on being a full-time student, even
if they work part time. “If you’ve come to school to be a full-time student, then be a full-time student,” Roney said. “When we work at a job, we plan to invest 40 hours per week on that job. Students should invest at least that much time each week on their schoolwork. They need to carry a full load of at least 15 credits and plan to study three hours for each credit hour they take. They can still be a leader and involved in other activities, but their top priority is being a full-time student.”