Schools Bachelor's Degree and Grad School Question.

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The discussion centers on a student who has switched their major from physics to software engineering and is concerned about the implications of their academic journey on future graduate school admissions. After spending 2.5 years earning an associate's degree focused on physics, the student plans to take a year off before pursuing a computer science degree at the University of Arizona, which may take an additional 2.5 to 3 years depending on course transfers. The primary concern is how graduate admissions committees view the time taken to complete an undergraduate degree, especially given the student's strong 4.0 GPA. Responses indicate that the duration of undergraduate studies is generally not a significant factor in admissions, particularly when the candidate has maintained high academic performance. The discussion reassures the student that many individuals change their academic paths and that consistent grades are more important than the time spent in college.
Ithryndil
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Hello,

I have currently switched my major from physics over to software engineering. From what I can find out, I will need to pursue the computer science degree at the University of Arizona. When I was initially going to college, I had actually began with a different degree. After a semester I went back to physics because I couldn't really imagine doing anything else. Then, over the past six month, I decided to switch to software engineering. However, the courses I took at my community college were geared for a transfer for a degree in physics, not computer science.

I wound up spending 2.5 years getting my associates...and quite frankly, I am ashamed at that. Now, I am taking a year off before I go back to college. Then, I will probably need 3 years, or possibly even 2.5 years to get a computer science degree. It all depends on how exactly my courses will transfer. I received a 4.0 all throughout community college...and so my GPA is 4.0. My question is this:

How much do graduate school admissions committees look into how long the candidate spent to get his undergraduate degree? I never did declare a major at my community college, I just geared the courses I took towards physics as best I could. Thanks!
 
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I wouldn't worry about this.
 
I don't think it's a major factor - especially if your marks have been consistently high. There are lots of people who jump from program to program before finally deciding on an avenue to pursue. I went through grad school with a guy who did an English degree before discovering physics was what he really wanted to do.
 
Alright. Thank you. I was really getting worried about this...I suppose it would be a whole different thing if I had wanted a degree in physics this whole time and wound up spending 5 - 6 years getting that degree...or if my GPA was lower.
 
Hey, I am Andreas from Germany. I am currently 35 years old and I want to relearn math and physics. This is not one of these regular questions when it comes to this matter. So... I am very realistic about it. I know that there are severe contraints when it comes to selfstudy compared to a regular school and/or university (structure, peers, teachers, learning groups, tests, access to papers and so on) . I will never get a job in this field and I will never be taken serious by "real"...
Yesterday, 9/5/2025, when I was surfing, I found an article The Schwarzschild solution contains three problems, which can be easily solved - Journal of King Saud University - Science ABUNDANCE ESTIMATION IN AN ARID ENVIRONMENT https://jksus.org/the-schwarzschild-solution-contains-three-problems-which-can-be-easily-solved/ that has the derivation of a line element as a corrected version of the Schwarzschild solution to Einstein’s field equation. This article's date received is 2022-11-15...

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