The Risk of Rushing: Students on the fast track to graduation lose out on experiences, opportunities available at UCLA

Around eighth week, the familiar murmurs of “This quarter went by too fast!” start to echo around campus. A course that seemed like it would be a slow, arduous trek at the beginning of the quarter feels like a sprint. As a consequence of the quarter system, Bruins are always rushing.

For a few students, however, rushing is paramount. These students manage to complete their undergraduate degrees in three years or less.

While graduating early has its benefits, students considering such a plan must also take the disadvantages into account. In the end, the three-year college experience is ideal for only very few students.

According to a fact sheet on three-year students compiled by Penny Hein-Unruh, assistant vice provost of academic advising in the College of Letters and Science, these students comprise 3 to 4 percent of each entering class.

The fact sheet was compiled in response to Chancellor Gene Block’s recent concerns about affordability, said Judith Smith, vice provost for undergraduate education.

Daniela Girbal, a third-year political science student, is one of these undergraduates. She was able to complete all her major’s requirements before the start of her third year by taking four classes almost every quarter and taking two to three classes every summer.

As the cost of education steadily increases, early graduation may seem like a more attractive option to some, but it is certainly not the best choice for everybody.

“In the data that we collected, there was nothing different (about the three-year students) except that they were focused,” Smith said.

The three-year students arrived at UCLA with an average of 39.7 units already completed, and all of them declared their major within the first year, according to the fact sheet.

Smith said the most popular major among these students was political science, since it allows students lots of flexibility in fulfilling its requirements.

“The poli sci major is short,” Girbal said, offering another reason. “It’s doable.”

To be sure, early graduation has its benefits. Graduating in three years allows students to enter the workforce and start earning a full-time salary a year earlier than they could have otherwise.

Graduating early also saves a whole year’s worth of university tuition and student fees, which are currently estimated to be at least $12,686 for California residents and $35,564 for non-residents for the 2012-2013 school year.

According to the fact sheet, the small three-year group contained roughly double the percentage of non-residents as there was in the general student population. This suggests the motivation behind an accelerated undergraduate degree may be financial.

But the disadvantages of graduating earlier may still outweigh the economic advantages.

If a student is not prepared for college-level work through Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or community college classes, the student runs the risk of being overloaded. As many Bruins have learned firsthand, not even those who had a high GPA in high school are immune to burnout.

Smith said three-year students are involved in honors programs and doing research. But one fewer year is still less time ““ less time to do research, gain experience and network with relevant people in the student’s intended field. Ultimately, it is less time to take advantage of all UCLA has to offer.

Depending on the field, a lack of connections and experience could pose a huge disadvantage once the student enters the workforce. While three-year students may be able to start their careers earlier, their job opportunities may be restricted.

Choosing a major early also poses a problem, since students on the fast track have much less time to explore various fields of study before they commit to one.

UCLA’s size and diversity enables students to discover areas of study they might not have known existed in high school. Having such a variety of courses at their disposal lets them test the waters of various fields before diving into them headfirst.

According to a Web page created by Michael J. Leonard, former editor of Pennsylvania State University’s academic advising journal, 80 percent of incoming college freshmen admit uncertainty about their majors, and up to 50 percent of college students change their majors at least once before graduation.

Deciding a field of study is a complex process. Students should not feel pressured or obligated to pick a major based on time rather than interest.

As the administration considers developing a plan to help these three-year students achieve their goals, undergraduate students contemplating an early graduation must be sure about both their majors and their individual levels of preparedness before taking the plunge, regardless of their financial situations.

Do you plan on graduating early? Email Mirea at [email protected]. Send general comments to [email protected] or tweet us @DBOpinion.