Would you recommend graduating early in college if you have all the credits?

Hi Mireia!

Deciding when to leave Undergrad (and college as a whole) is a difficult question. Somethings to consider in my mind are

• Funding: If you have the financial capability, college is an incredible time in your life and one to relish the experience of. It's nice to get paid in a full time job, but the experiences you undergo in college will lay the ground work for your whole life.
• Availability of Co-Terminal Degrees: In my undergrad, you could begin your Grad School work early. This allowed me to complete my B.A. & B.S. in 5 years total. This was a huge benefit for me to save a year while still experiencing a wonderful 5 years of schooling. Explore your field to see if it's a generally accepted practice or if there's a preference towards having real world experience before getting your grad work done.

I believe coming into my first full time role at AT&T was greatly enhanced by completing my grad work. It sounds like in your instance, that work is necessary so if your school offers a Co-Terminal program that may be a huge time / funding savings for you.

It’s best to get Professional as soon as possible. The Graduation? Kinda like a Publicity Stunt. Doesn’t work in the Politic of Hiring.

If you can line up a job, why not? Start making some money, pay your bills, buy stuff. Of course being at college has many rewards of its own. Friends, events, learning new stuff. Personally, if I could afford it, I'd stay in college, my experience there was wonderful and hey, you get to put off becoming a working stiff a little longer.

Yes, if you feel like you'll be leaving without any regrets. Have you taken an internship (direct experience before graduation)? Are you clear on the skills you've gained from classes (presenting, writing, teamwork, time management, any software or technology?,other) look up what is required for your job pursuits and check off what you have or may still be able to get. If you're going to graduate school then evenore yes so that you can save some te and money from the cost of classes. Weigh your comfort level with your clarity for future needs. Hope this helps and best wishes for a great future!

Mieria, It is a good spot to be have the option to graduate early. This is a very personal decision. I also had the chance to graduate early from undergraduate but having the opportunity to work abroad was very important to me so I chose to do this instead of graduate early. This experience helped me work in a global workforce and be more prepared for future jobs. College is also a great opportunity to make lifelong friends and try new experiences & hobbies--I didn't want to cut this time with my friends short. You may want to consider if there are unique opportunities on campus (student leadership opportunities, research or TA opportunities, study abroad, internships) that may help you land future jobs or get into graduate school

In grad school, I made the exact opposite decision. I was funding the cost of school and housing. I could take more credits to graduate a semester early without it being too overwhelming. I was still able to work a few hours a week. This time, the trade-off of graduating early was worth it to begin making money again. By this time, I had also discovered that I enjoyed solving problems in the workplace much more than learning in a classroom.

As Ian mentioned, look into opportunities to getting a head start on your Master's degree. Would you be interested in getting a Master's degree from the same university?

You may also want to speak with the Career Services Office for some of the schools you are interested in to see if they have a preference.