In our last post, we discussed students who may need to take longer than the traditional four years to complete their college degree.  In this post, we look at students who choose to accelerate their college experience to finish early.

In addition to those students who may take longer than the traditional four years to complete their degree, there are a growing number of students who may decide to attempt to complete their college education in less than four years.  Students who finish in three or three and a half years may save on tuition fees.  They have the opportunity to get started working in their chosen field earlier.  However, these students may also need to give up some of the traditional college experiences in order to be able to complete their degree early.

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Most colleges require students to take a certain number of courses across the disciplines.  These courses, known as General Education Requirements, or sometimes Liberal Arts Requirements, are the courses that students must take, in addition to the courses in their major, to graduate.  General education requirements may vary from school to school.  Some schools are very broad in their requirements, while other schools may be very specific.  Whether the requirements are broad or specific, general education requirements are designed to help students expand their perspectives.

Many students dislike the idea of having to take courses across the spectrum in college and want to focus solely on their major or the areas in which they are interested.  Students become impatient and dissatisfied with their general education requirements, and many see them as “hoops” they must jump through in order to graduate.  Parents can help students view their general education courses as opportunities rather than barriers.  Conversations with parents can help students understand why the school may require them to explore things outside of their major.

Here are some of the reasons why colleges require general education or liberal arts courses, as well as some ways that parents can help students think about these courses.

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Once the last of the final exams are finished in the spring, most students look forward to a long summer break before classes resume in the fall.  Students often spend their summer working hard at a summer job, but they enjoy having a summer free from classes, textbooks, papers, and tests.  Some students, however, may consider signing up for summer classes – either at their own college or at an institution closer to home.  There are some things for your student to consider before they make the decision to continue classes during the summer.

Why would a student want to take summer classes?

Students opt for summer classes for a variety of reasons.

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As a college parent, you may wonder about the people at college with whom your student spends much of their time.  Who will their classmates be? Who will their friends be?  Who will their roommates or suitemates be?  Who will theircoworkers be? Who will their professors be?  Students often head off to college with many of the same questions.  They wonder, and then they discover their classmates, roommates, coworkers.  They work at making and maintaining friendships.  However, although students will see their professors in class each day, they may not think about the importance of working at establishing a relationship with these professionals.

You can encourage your student to get to know their instructors.  It will be to your student’s advantage to get to know their professors – and to help them get to know your student.  However, it is often difficult for many students, especially new students, to reach out to faculty members.  Here are a few suggestions you might pass on that will help your set your student apart as an individual.  Some may require more effort than others.  However, using even a few of these suggestions will help your student stand out in their professors’ minds.

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One very important task that each college student faces each semester is choosing his classes for the next semester.  It is exciting for students to consider the wide array of classes from which they may choose, but also intimidating to consider the implications of making the appropriate – or inappropriate choices.

As parents of college students, we may feel that we should have some input.  Discussing your college student’s class choices is always a good thing.  It will help you to understand your student’s interests and goals, and it may help your student to clarify his thinking as you talk about his decisions.  However, it is important to remember that it is your college student who will be taking the classes, and that he has, hopefully, made informed decisions in consultation with an Academic Advisor who understands college expectations and requirements.

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