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As you sort through the tuitions and the fees, the books and the gas, the rooms and the boards, you may begin to realize that the ol' six-year degree plan -- as much as it may enhance your social life and further delay your cruel entrance into the real world -- may not make much economic sense after all.

While the majority of college students take more than four years to complete their degree, more and more students are coming into their post-secondary experience armed with college credit. That means, they have the valuable option of getting out with a bachelor's degree in less than the standard four years. Ever thought of that possibility for yourself? Maybe you should. All it takes is some careful planning, forethought, and a consistently motivated attitude focused on the prize: Cost-effective college success!

Debunk the Trend
The current trend in  

graduation

  rates leans toward students taking longer to graduate despite the fact that more of them are bringing along credit from high school. What gives?

Linda Lyons, an academic advisor at the University of Rhode Island, Providence, RI, works closely with hundreds of undergraduates on a daily basis who seem "pretty casual" about how long it takes them to make an educational or career decision. Students are so worried that they will make the wrong decision, she says, that they spend more than the four-year time frame trying to get it just right.

"I find myself encouraging them to consider ways to graduate in a more timely fashion, but am told that it's OK, that they don't mind taking a bit longer," says Lyons. "Like many students, they often confuse major selection with a life sentence to a particular career choice, which we know is practically never the case."

Of course, the early graduation option is not for everyone. Many students enjoy taking extended coursework from a number of different disciplines for either personal advancement or for a more educated choice of major. With an early graduation plan, there is usually less room for adventure, as all credit hours obtained are the minimum requirements for degree completion.

money Is No Object? Since When?
Then again, many students don't have the luxury of taking the time to explore several different disciplines in search of the "perfect" major. Much of your decision to try to graduate early or not will depend on your financial situation and your ability to sustain a full four years or more of college without putting your own financial future in jeopardy. According to Lyons, this is a luxury not to be wasted.

"Students have an incredible opportunity to build more experiences into their academic program." More time equals more credits, lighter loads, more opportunity for internships, the option for a Double major, and the list can go on and on."I think this type of student has an incredible opportunity to add value to their program in any number of ways," Lyons says of the less financially-constrained student. "I think these experiences could allow them to truly customize their experience based on their unique skills and interests."

College is a great place with amazing opportunities every day and every year you are there. However, if you are more constrained financially, saving one year of fees, tuition, books, board, pizza, etc., could help you enter the real world with a little less debt.

The "E" Word Is the Key Word
The key to any successful early graduation program is efficient planning. I graduated from undergraduate school with a bachelor's degree in three years and graduate school with a master's degree in one and a half years with surprisingly little added effort. My motivation was to save money and time, but my m.o. was planning.

While effort is an "e" word that will certainly help you out (especially when report cards come out and, yes, there are still report cards in college), efficiency is the "e" word that will truly guide you through your accelerated learning process.Think of ways you can best maximize your coursework to achieve optimal benefits in terms of the advancement of your degree plan, as well as the health of your pocketbook. For example, if you'd like to work as an intern over the summer, find out if there is any kind of independent study you can do in conjunction with your work for credit. In that vein, think of ways you could fulfill two of your degree requirements with one course or possibly overlap a minor with an area of interest for which you are already required to take multiple courses.

Talk with your advisor about any courses that offer CLEP tests you could take instead. Such CLEP tests are comprehensive assessments of your knowledge in a particular area. Passing one of these tests in a designated subject with a "C" or higher often translates into automatic credit toward your degree. The tests usually cost around $50 and, with a little preparation and a passing grade, could be the most efficient dollar you'll spend in all of your university days.

Planning becomes paramount in any early-graduation scheme. Your advisor can help you project the feasibility of being able to finish your college years ahead of the rest, as well as calculate the best way you can set about doing so. It's like waiting for the moons to align, in a way -- a balancing act between time and placement -- what course is offered this semester and when will that prerequisite be offered next? But that can be the fun of it, and it can be a lesson in itself.

Step one, as with any decision, is to carefully evaluate your own goals and needs. You need not become inspired to jump on the fast track, but you can understand your own authority over your years in college. What you make of your education is up to you.

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