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At four-year universities, tuition rates are rising and graduation rates are declining, according to GraduationWatch.org. In fact, only 37 percent of college students  

graduate in four years

  or less. The rest are making their super-senior way towards more debt with the help of growing school loans.


To avoid the pool of super seniors, we sought some help from recent grads and college experts on how to graduate in four years. Here's what they had to say...

Task 1: Pick a major You'll Stick To.
Darshan Sampathu, a recent Rutgers University (New Brunswick, NJ) graduate, was pre-med at first. Two years into college, he realized a career in medicine wasn't his true calling. Although he completed his bachelor's degree in the expected four years, the change from chemistry to an economics major wasn't an easy one. "I took about one or two summer classes to catch up," the 26-year-old explains. "I used the science classes I had already taken to complete a minor in chemistry -- so it wasn't a total waste." Too bad Darshan had to pay for all those extra summer courses that otherwise would've been included in tuition.

If you'd rather not waste credits on useless classes, Brenda Watkins, vice president for College Partnership Inc., says to try an interest evaluation program to help you determine what major is right for you. "Changing majors while in college is the number one reason students don't graduate in four years," she explains. "[After the evaluation], you can research the careers associated with majors, and talk to people in that field."

Task 2: Schedule Core Requirements Early.
"Plan in advance. Don't just sign up for courses," says Bruce Hammond, co-editor of the Fiske Guide to Getting Into the Right College (Sourcebooks, 2002). "Do a tentative plan for all four years. You can always change your mind, but planning ahead helps you spot potential roadblocks to graduation when you still have time to deal with them."

Darshan ran into the college roadblock known as core requirements. His advice to students: "The earlier you can cut out classes that won't have any relevance to your major or minor, the better," he explains. "Students should schedule core requirements early on. Don't wait until junior or senior year to complete them. They'll just get in the way."

Task 3: Pass Your Classes.
It took Terence Im, also a recent Rutgers grad, six years to finish his undergraduate studies. But, this super senior isn't the kind who struggled all the way through college. He not only earned a degree in exercise physiology, he also completed majors in economics and Asian studies in the process.

Just how did the 24-year-old overachiever and Sigma Chi house manager/social chair/risk management chairman/treasurer do all that with flying colors and without a single F? "I really worked my butt off; failing just wasn't an option," he recalls. "That's the whole point -- you have to make your time [at college] count for something. If not grades, then what?!"

Terence continues, "Make sure you know exactly what you want to do. It's better to figure that out than be unhappy about your degree just because you wanted to finish in four years. Plus, since you're studying something you love, you'll enjoy your classes and probably won't fail them."

Reiterating on how not to fail, Watkins reminds you to study! "You must keep up with your class [work] and try not to fall behind," she asserts. "Set a study schedule early and maintain it. [And if you need extra help], ask for assistance from teachers, classmates, [even] parents."


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Ysolt Usigan is a frequent contributor to The CollegeBound Network. Learn more about finding a school that's right for you.

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