Fifteen percent of JHU students graduate early
While tough financial times may encourage some students to leave school a semester or two early, the same financial struggles may encourage other students to avoid the withered job market and stay in school for as long as possible.
"Especially right now, the job market isn't going anywhere. Its not like in December, you have so many more prospects than you will in May," junior Miriam Haviland said.
Other incentives for students to complete their undergraduate studies early remain unaffected by the financial crisis and are constant factors.
"Students also sometimes want to get a jump on getting a job. Sometimes they may want to do a semester of travel before heading off to graduate or professional school. And sometimes, it might be an internship or research opportunity that is of interest," Burger wrote.
As students graduate early, they have to modify their schedules and their plans to accommodate the shorter schedule for their degrees.
"I'm a neuroscience major, and I do enjoy the things that I study. A lot of upper level classes are only offered in the fall or spring, so by graduating early, I may be losing out on classes I would've liked to take," Cheng said.
The increased burden can be difficult for some, however. Bader and Burger both noted that overloading classes in order to graduate early may be an excessive burden and that it may violate the credit limit.
Many students are attracted to graduating early because it gives them time to focus on applications, internships or more adventurous activities.
"Most of my friends who are going to graduate early are thinking about doing special programs in that last semester or more research. One of my friends is thinking of hiking the Appalachian Trail. They're doing life experience stuff rather than trying to get jobs," junior Micahel Arnst, an international studies and German major, said.
Choosing to graduate early also has serious social implications.
"I am going to miss out on my senior year. I don't get to have that, and I don't get to graduate with my friends, which kind of sucks. I may stay in Baltimore [to work], because I'm missing out and don't want to have to move on from my friendships just yet," Koh said.
"Especially right now, the job market isn't going anywhere. Its not like in December, you have so many more prospects than you will in May," junior Miriam Haviland said.
Other incentives for students to complete their undergraduate studies early remain unaffected by the financial crisis and are constant factors.
"Students also sometimes want to get a jump on getting a job. Sometimes they may want to do a semester of travel before heading off to graduate or professional school. And sometimes, it might be an internship or research opportunity that is of interest," Burger wrote.
As students graduate early, they have to modify their schedules and their plans to accommodate the shorter schedule for their degrees.
"I'm a neuroscience major, and I do enjoy the things that I study. A lot of upper level classes are only offered in the fall or spring, so by graduating early, I may be losing out on classes I would've liked to take," Cheng said.
The increased burden can be difficult for some, however. Bader and Burger both noted that overloading classes in order to graduate early may be an excessive burden and that it may violate the credit limit.
Many students are attracted to graduating early because it gives them time to focus on applications, internships or more adventurous activities.
"Most of my friends who are going to graduate early are thinking about doing special programs in that last semester or more research. One of my friends is thinking of hiking the Appalachian Trail. They're doing life experience stuff rather than trying to get jobs," junior Micahel Arnst, an international studies and German major, said.
Choosing to graduate early also has serious social implications.
"I am going to miss out on my senior year. I don't get to have that, and I don't get to graduate with my friends, which kind of sucks. I may stay in Baltimore [to work], because I'm missing out and don't want to have to move on from my friendships just yet," Koh said.
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Caroline Card
posted 3/07/09 @ 12:56 AM EST
Thank you for writing the article, I am very pleased with how it came out.
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