What does it take to graduate in three years? Is it worth it? It’s not for everyone, I can tell you that much. My journey at TCU began in January 2007. I will graduate in December. For those of you who are like me and can’t stand math, that’s two years and 11 months for me to earn my B.S. in strategic communications from the Schieffer School of Journalism.
During that time I will have completed 120 out of the 124 hours needed for my degree.
So what does it take to graduate in three years? It takes determination and a lot of summer school. In essence, I treated going to school like having a job. I never took less than 12 units, even during summer. I maintained a full-time schedule year round.
Fulfilling these schedule requirements meant making sacrifices. The majority of the sacrifice came in the area of socializing with other students. Making friends became difficult because my accelerated schedule pushed me past the people I would normally attend classes with. For many people, college is a time to mold oneself into adulthood and socializing is an important part of that process. This reason alone would probably deter a good majority of students from pursuing the three-year plan.
With that said, one big benefit is three years goes by really fast. My main priority was to enter the work force as soon as possible. For those of you that have entered college directly out of high school, that extra year in the work force may be very beneficial to your career.
In the end, do what works out best for you. I was fortunate enough to form friendships in the Marine Corps that will last a lifetime. Maybe that is why I was capable of completing the daunting task I set for myself. There is one thing I am certain of and that is the excitement of knowing I am about to graduate.
So if three years sounds better than four to you, I suggest that you pay special attention to your requirements and start looking into summer school. That’s all it takes.
Chris Simcho is a senior strategic communications major from Morgan Hill, Calif.
