Six Suggestions to Securing Your Graduation Date

I'm almost a junior. It's been on my mind lately, am I on schedule to graduate when I plan to? I've heard horror stories about friends who have thought they were on the right track before finding out they were behind by just enough hours to keep them here another semester. So, to prevent such a horror story in my own life, I wanted to do everything I could think of to make sure things are squared away. Here's what I suggest.

1. Talk to your adviser! It is so important to have a relationship with them. Be in contact through email and make sure they know who you are specifically. Make appointments to drop in every couple of months to be sure you are on the right track. They have the paperwork proving exactly what the school knows about your progress. And it's their job!

2. Be open to taking a summer class or two if you have to. It sounds terrible, I know, but if it is what will get you on track, it is worth it. I'm not saying take them, I'm saying never shut out the possibility. It'll be nice to have a fall-back plan if needed.

3. Don't procrastinate! Take your important classes when recommended and try to stay with the four-year plan set out for your major. Don't save all of your hard classes until your last few semesters. The worst thing would be failing one and letting that set your entire schedule back for graduation date.

4. Stay informed! Actually know what the requirements are for your major. Get started on this right away. At latest, by your sophomore spring. Do you need to declare a minor? How many total hours do you need? What are pre-reqs for your upper-level courses? Stay on top of things!

5. Find someone you know fairly well who has your major. Someone who is about to graduate. See their advice! Ask them what they did right or wrong. Which classes are best paired with which others? When is the best time to get this course out of the way? They have just gone through it. It definitely cannot hurt to ask.

6. Have a plan! Start on this early! Know what you want your final semesters to look like. Will you need a part-time job? Are you planning to do an internship? Is a full load possible? Should you even out your remaining hours so you are not stuck with too many in the end? Think about these things! Write it out and keep it somewhere that you'll look at again. It's your graduation! Don't prolong it if you don't have to!