Are you eager to earn your bachelor’s degree in less time? While most college students take around four to five years to complete their undergraduate studies, it is indeed possible to finish faster with careful planning and effective strategies.
In this article, we will explore several ways to expedite your journey towards obtaining a bachelor’s degree. Whether you are still in high school or already enrolled in college, these tips can help you graduate ahead of schedule. So let’s dive in!
Some strategies for earning your bachelor’s degree faster take some planning and have to start in high school.
Taking Advanced Placement Courses
Advanced Placement Courses, also known as AP Classes, offer college-level curricula and satisfy high school and college credits. It’s important to note that these classes can be quite difficult, and it’s not a decision to make lightly. Earning these college credits will make it easier to complete a bachelor’s degree faster.
Consider Dual Enrollment
Many high school seniors can attend high school for only half the day, allowing them to work in the afternoons or even attend classes at a local community college. By attending classes at a local community college, students can graduate high school with several credits to graduate from college faster than their peers.
Not all planning needs to take place in high school. You have several options while already enrolled in college if you want to complete your degree more quickly.
When enrolling in school, request to take Core Competency Exams
Core Competency Exams allow students to test out of 100-200 level core classes like Math and English. If you take and pass this exam, you’ll be able to skip the classes and still receive the credits towards your bachelor’s degree.
Be a super full-time student
A full-time student is a student who takes 12-15 credit hours per semester. If you want to graduate faster, you’ll need to take additional credit hours so you can earn your degree more quickly.
Keep in mind that for each credit hour you’re enrolled in, you’ll spend 1-3 hours studying outside of class. So, if you’re taking 18 credit hours, you’ll be in class for 18 hours per week as well as studying for approximately 54 hours a week. That’s a whopping 72 hours per week you’ll need to dedicate to your studies!
Consider taking Summer and Winter Session Classes
While taking extra classes during the Fall and Spring semesters can help you graduate more quickly. If you want to graduate faster, you might consider taking courses during the Summer and Winter semesters as well.
These classes are generally more condensed, so they fit into the shorter periods. So keep in mind, these classes may be more challenging to keep up with. But, if you’re on a mission to get your bachelor’s degree fast, this is the way to do it.
Regardless of how fast you decide to complete your bachelor’s degree, be sure you’re choosing the best path for yourself. Just because you have friends who want to fast-track their education doesn’t mean you have to do it too.
