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The
YEAR plan
How to ensure
that your student
graduates in four years.
Many teens hear throughout high school that college
will be the best four years of their lives. However, stud-
ies show that only about 37 percent of college students actually
graduate within those four years. Instead, about 26 percent of
students need five or six years, and the remaining students either
never receive degrees or need even more time to graduate. Given
the cost of sending your kids to college, how can you increase the
chances of your teen graduating within four years?
Why do so many students need more than four years
to graduate?
SCHEDULING CONFLICTS:
Every college has a unique general education curriculum in addition to the curricula that surround majors. With some classes being offered only during select semesters, it is often difficult to take
all required classes every semester. In addition, some students
cannot take all of their desired classes because of time conflicts
with jobs, activities and other classes.
30
CHANGING MAJORS:
The average college student changes majors almost four times, so
choosing a different career path in school isn’t a huge deal. However, because different majors have distinct course requirements,
students can run into trouble when switching late in the game.
Changing freshman or early-sophomore year shouldn’t cause too
much delay, but anytime after sophomore year may push back
their graduation date.
TRANSFERRING SCHOOLS:
Transferring schools can increase time needed to complete a
degree as well. Even if a student continues with the same major,
not all credits will transfer. Additionally, a new school means a
new curriculum for that major, so different courses will be needed
to fulfill those requirements.
CONFLICT with WORK:
Lengthy college careers can also stem from students working
off-campus too much. Hefty work schedules conflicting with class
schedules can prevent students from taking required classes at the
earliest time available, causing them to be thrown off track even
more down the road.
SLEEPING IN:
Additionally, some students refuse to take classes because of their
aversions to scheduled times. For example, some students may
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