The Triangle

by Timothy Baldi
Staff Writer

With December approaching, several juniors on campus have begun considering their upcoming graduation. A portion of these are considering the benefits and downsides of early graduation in December of 2010.

While many juniors have not yet decided whether to graduate with the rest of their class in spring 2011 or to pursue an early graduation, many juniors seem to be considering it, according to junior Kirsten Amling, who is considering to graduate in December.

So far, 20 juniors on campus have already applied to graduate early in December 2010, according to Assistant Registrar Brenda Wooten.  There are currently 16 applications to graduate this December.

Wooten said that the exact number of graduates is difficult to estimate because of last-minute changes people may make to their schedules. Some students may push back their graduation a semester to fulfill academic requirements or to graduate with friends.

There are both benefits and downsides to graduating early. Graduating early is helpful financially. Students can save $10-12,000 by cutting out a semester, said Amling.

Since most of her required classes have been completed, Amling said she is debating whether spending the money is worthwhile when she has the potential to graduate early.

Senior Matthew Dee, who plans to graduate in May 2010 after completing his third year at Bryan, said that time can also be saved by graduating early.

Because Dee plans to pursue a doctoral degree in philosophy after graduating as a Christian Thought major at Bryan, he said adding an extra year to the seven years of college he already plans to complete will be unnecessary.

Dee is considering studying at Talbot Theological Seminary (La Mirada, Calif.) or studying abroad at the University of Oxford in England.

If she graduates early, Amling is considering traveling at home or abroad before beginning a career with her Corporate Communications degree.

Amling said there is “a lot that we learn non-academically, socially and relationally in the dorms and with people.”

There are many relationships and late-night conversations missed by graduating early, said Dee.

Amling said that another downside to early graduation is that some campus activities, such as being a resident assistant, or a member of SGA or Worldview Initiative, are  yearlong commitments that cannot be fulfilled by December grads.

The creation of a December graduation ceremony in 2007 has encouraged juniors to graduate early if the opportunity arises, said Amling.

However, according to Wooten, some students complete their academic requirements in December, but wait until May to graduate with their friends and classmates.

Early graduation is an opportunity to search for a job and “freak out about life,” said Amling.