Why I’m excited to graduate early from the University of Iowa
I’m more than thrilled to cut my college experience a little short
College is a much different atmosphere than high school. Be prepared for unexpected changes, some for the better, and some you’ll absolutely loath. I can vouch for both sides of the spectrum, as can many other students who have encountered identical problems.
I changed my major, ran into financial concerns, and ended up deciding to graduate early.
What’s the rush?
During high school, I was that person who could never quite wrap their mind around the idea of graduating early. Why do it? You miss out on so much. Why rush growing up?
Although my younger self couldn’t understand why many students decided to make decisions like this, I soon came to understand the benefits of graduating early as a college student.
Everything was perfect, and then it wasn’t
Like many other college students out there, I switched my major after the first semester of my freshman year. It was a big decision, but I knew it was the right thing for me to do. I got into the swing of second semester, realized how much I loved what I was doing, and began to make plans for where I saw myself going in the future.
When it came time to file for FAFSA and prepare for the next school year, I started running into some issues.
A new chapter
I was planning to live in the dorms during my sophomore year of college, but housing conveniently didn’t have enough room for me. Thanks Iowa. Turns out apartments are cheaper anyway though. So I resorted to plan B.
I found a roommate, got an apartment, and continued on from there. During this whole process, my parents suggested that from a financial standpoint it would make more sense for me to graduate a year early.
Surprisingly, I agreed.
I expected myself to be completely unwilling to sacrifice senior year functions and celebrations with my new found friends, but I was genuinely excited to start this chapter of my life a little sooner than anticipated.
The benefits
From here on out, I won’t have all the benefits that summer breaks hold, but in the long run I will be saving myself a years worth of expenses. I don’t really mind giving up my summers for a couple of reasons; one, I know it will be worth it in the end, and two, I love what I’m doing.
If we truly love what we’re studying in college, shouldn’t we look forward to learning?
This summer I’ll be finishing off my general education courses through Indian Hills Community College and starting off next semester with courses for my major and certificates. Luckily, The University of Iowa offers this awesome program called the Summer Hawk Tuition Grant, allowing students to take up to 12 semester hours during the summer completely tuition free!
Next summer I’ll be enrolling in this program and in search of internships; something I was nervous about missing out on. By the summer of 2018 I’ll be finishing up a couple of simple credits and ready to walk across the graduation stage all before I’m 22 years old.
Every situation is different
There can be a lot of drawbacks when students decide to graduate early.
Missing out on classes, internships, senior functions, and the lack of a break can really hold some people back, but there are usually ways around it.
Taking advantage of college classes during high school, summers, and through community colleges is the easiest places to start. I wanted to finish my gen. eds. somewhere other than Iowa because I knew it would save me time and money, and the classes would be low stress. When I return in the fall I can focus on courses for my degree and certificates instead of a bunch of classes I have no interest in.
On the other hand, every situation is different. I know not every one can get as lucky as I did, but my biggest piece of advice is to PLAN AHEAD. Taking as many classes during high school that fulfill general education requirements will allow for a little bit of leeway, especially if you aren’t completely sure what you want to study.