How to Skip a Year of College

Below are the top 5 tricks on how to skip a year of college. This is how I was able to graduate a year early and spend it traveling the world instead of sitting in a dimly lit lecture hall…

1. Don’t Trust Anyone but Yourself

In an ideal world, your guidance counselor will know everything about your major and graduation requirements, and will do anything they can to help you achieve them. In the real world, school counselors are only human and generally bogged down with back to back appointments and recommendation requests. Not all schools are like this, but most large Universities hold this to be true.

You need to take matters into your own hands. Do your homework and map out your major or pre major with the official class schedule. You should be able to generate a list of every class you need to complete in order to graduate. This is where it gets tricky… You need to make sure you schedule those hard to get into classes as soon as possible. If you get those out of the way, you won’t run into problems with full or not offered classes in your graduating semester.
Finally, if you still have questions after researching on your own, then take your plan to the guidance counselor. Let them know your accelerated schedule and engage them in your enthusiasm. Once they see how active you are in your schooling, they may even help you find shortcuts or ways around certain requirements.

2. CLEP out of everything you can!

CLEP tests are not only for scholarships or pre-requisites anymore. Most schools (over 2,900) grant regular class credit for tests that are passed. Albeit some have limits as to how many credits you may use towards graduation, CLEP tests can be pure gold if you ever paid attention in high school. The subjects range anywhere from languages to literature and tests are available under the following topics:

• Composition and Literature
• Foreign Languages
• History and Social Sciences
• Science and Mathematics
• Business

You will still need to study for these tests and there is a fee to take them, but this is usually nominal compared to credit hour costs. Many of these credits can be used to fill in those elective courses and to meet the 120 hour graduation requirements. Don’t forget to look up your school’s CLEP policies in their general catalog before studying or paying to sit for the tests.

3. Earn Credits with your Experience

This tip isn’t really for students coming right out of high school, and not all Universities offer this option, but some programs will actually give you credit based on your previous experiences. This can apply to a broad range of skills from business to art, and even training learned in the military or certification classes. Some colleges will take your resume, CV, or portfolio and use it to judge how much life experience credit you can earn. This way of earning credits is also becoming more popular in e-learning environments and online degrees. The best way to find out if your school offers this is to ask a counselor or advisor about your specific program. It might take some hard work to prove what you’ve done, but this method can be extremely rewarding and very cost effective!

4. Go to School Year Round

In primary education, having the summer off to hang out with friends and goof around was welcomed, but in college, paying expensive room and board just to sit around to wait for the fall semester is almost absurd. Even though it seems like a bummer, there are many upsides to taking classes during the summertime:

• Alternating semesters or sessions still allow for relaxation and vacation times in-between classes
• You can take more difficult subjects because of the lower demanding schedule
• Class sizes are smaller and more relaxed
• Professors are more accessible and have less work to occupy them
• It’s the best time to knock out those pesky required courses
• You could graduate a year or more early!

All in all, taking classes during the summer is the most important tip towards finishing school early.

5. Take Online Classes

Online classes can eliminate a lot of headaches when it comes to making your schedule work for you. One of the toughest parts of graduating early is being able to finish all requirements or pre requisites on time. You may have already realized that some classes are not always offered every semester or that they are scheduled on the same time or day that your other classes are. Taking certain courses online eliminates any specific time periods for going to class. Also, certain courses allow you to set your own pace. This way you can finish early, or set a slower pace for yourself depending on work load and schedule restraints.

Let’s face it, online classrooms not only provide great flexibility but you can also go to class in your pajamas! Need I say more?
All things considered, these techniques are not for the lazy or undetermined. Cramming four full years at a University into three is definitely challenging and requires a passionate student that wants to succeed. If used correctly, all of these tricks can be used to reduce time spent in college and increase time available for life adventures. Hey, if I can do it… I know you can!