taking too long with university

[GTAdiscountStudent]

how long is too long to spend in university and what consequences are there?

currently, it's gonna take me 5 years to finish, does this mean that i won't have the option of going to grad school?

what about if it takes 5.5 years? etc

[Electricute]

more time = less more, but +money
less time = more work, -money

depends how much u want to stress yourself. You need to complete a set number of courses, you could take 7 courses/semester + night school + summer school and finish maybe in 2 years, but no1 is crazy enough to do it. 6 courses/semester is more than enough for me, and i'll finish my 4th year in april

[Absolute]

I've been in university since '01, if that helps. Mind you, I switched in '05 to another university when I moved, and work full time now. I'm looking at an 8-year plan for my schooling, the limit before my courses start to expire :)

[B40]

Van Wilder is proud of you... stretch it out as long as you can.

Even more impressive if you're doing a 3 year degree.

[ji2o0k]

It really doesn't matter how long you take (well don't be like Tommy Boy and go to school for 7 years.......people that go that long are called Doctors)....

But 4 yrs, 5 yrs or 5.5 yrs doesn't make a big difference. I know a lot of friends that graduated from school in 4 years, went back to do a 5th year to boost up grades and get into grad school. Some grad schools look at the last two years of university grades and they don't really care if it is a non-degree year.

Most important is what you do during those 4, 5 or 5.5 years. Make sure you have some extracurricular activities, round yourself out by being active socially, physically (with some sports or hobbies) so that when you do go into the workforce, you have some other attributes besides academics. During the summer, you should either work part-time, travel or do something constructive to help you grow and develop.

Volunteer is great or pursue something that you find interesting or is your passion (outside of school).

Don't worry so much about the schedule or timeline.

[nini1204]

the only "concern" (if any at all) with a long uni. education is finances...if you're fortunate to not have the pressure to get a full time job & earn income, there's absolutely nothing wrong with 5 or 5.5 yr education.

having said that, it's important to spend these time wisely & i hope you're pursuing something that you have interest in or at least a great stepping stone for your future.

in terms of grad school, pls keep in mind that average age to grad school (ie MBA) is approx 30...knowing you're still in univ. i assume you're 20 or early 20s, bottom line => you'll be fine....just make sure that what you're doing right now make sense for what you'll wish to pursue in the future (both career & further education wise). Good luck.

[GTAdiscountStudent]

part of the reason it's taking me so long is because i have to constantly work to pay for school. full time in the summer (so summer school is out of the question), part time during school. so that bogs me down a bit.

i heard that grad schools are less likely to accept applicants that do not carry a full course load and take more than 4 years to complete their degrees

[keanefan]

grad school for what program?

[konfusion666]

[QUOTE=GTAdiscountStudent;4129368]how long is too long to spend in university and what consequences are there?

currently, it's gonna take me 5 years to finish, does this mean that i won't have the option of going to grad school?

what about if it takes 5.5 years? etc[/QUOTE]

all waterloo co-op schmucks get to waste 5 years in school... so no biggie.

and even at other schools, lots of people have to spend extra time there... to re-take courses, or if they switch to a 4-course load in the 3rd/4th year... stuff like that.

it's not a big deal.

[cywhiz]

IMO....it all depends on what you want to be...

As long as you don't spend the rest of your life in school, that's OK....
3-5 of post-secondary education seems to be adequate if you apply for most jobs...however, if you want to be a brain surgeon or something, that's a different story :)

you can always go back to school (for master/phd) AFTER you graduate from university and gain some work experience/money..that way, you will know what you really like to do and not waste time/money in something you may not like...

contrary to most people beliefs....i find that it is not very important what you do IN university, it is what you get OUT of it...your marks and such may be important only for your first few jobs, after that, it is your ability and experience...

[cliff]

[QUOTE=cywhiz;4131011]contrary to most people beliefs....i find that it is not very important what you do IN university, it is what you get OUT of it...your marks and such may be important only for your first few jobs, after that, it is your ability and experience...[/QUOTE]

I completely agree with you on the experiences part - they are what can, and most case will fundamentally change some part of you. Experiences are what you will remember in 5, 10, 20 years - not the definitions, readings or case studies that you did in second year.


Marks are important, but not that important in the grand scheme of things.(1) You need to get at least the minimum required to get a diploma, it could be 55% or 95%, the diploma you get at the end of the day will be the same.

(1) obviously marks can be important if you're intending to apply to grad school, other programs, etc.


I have never had to give my marks for a job, just proof that I actually earned the diploma at a real institution (ie. not a fake internet diploma).