Schools Do Graduate schools care about length of undergraduate career

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on the implications of taking five years to complete a double major in engineering and physics. It emphasizes that graduate schools typically do not penalize students for extending their undergraduate studies, especially when legitimate reasons exist, such as the need for more attention in smaller departments or personal circumstances. The focus is on the importance of academic integrity and the perception of students who may be trying to game the system versus those with valid reasons for a longer timeline. Additionally, there is a reflection on the importance of prioritizing education over peer perceptions, highlighting a shift in mindset towards valuing personal academic goals.
neosoul
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Hey PF,

I'm currently double majoring in engineering and physics. I want to be a licensed engineer and go on to grad school to study molecular engineering or something similar. However, I love my physics department. It's smaller so students get more funding and attention and way more opportunities with less competition. The way things are going, it will take me about 5 years to graduate (and that's if more than one class for a course is offered each semester--small school :/ ). Would graduate schools care if I take more than four years to complete my undergrad career? Would they provide less funding?

Thanks!
 
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No, not in that case. Taking five years to do a double major is fine.

What they look out for, if anything at all, is someone who is playing the game - trying to bolster marks by reducing workload, or who simply can't handle a full undergraduate workload successfully. Even then, the fact that someone takes more time can have all sorts of reasons. Maybe the student has a family to provide for. Maybe the student has a disability. Maybe the student didn't decide on a major until later or needed an extra year to figure out what field he or she really wanted to pursue for graduate studies. These, and yours are legitimate reasons for stretching an undergraduate degree out.
 
Choppy said:
No, not in that case. Taking five years to do a double major is fine.

What they look out for, if anything at all, is someone who is playing the game - trying to bolster marks by reducing workload, or who simply can't handle a full undergraduate workload successfully. Even then, the fact that someone takes more time can have all sorts of reasons. Maybe the student has a family to provide for. Maybe the student has a disability. Maybe the student didn't decide on a major until later or needed an extra year to figure out what field he or she really wanted to pursue for graduate studies. These, and yours are legitimate reasons for stretching an undergraduate degree out.

Thanks! I could have already started taking classes in engineering but I was afraid that I wouldn't graduate with my friends or being afraid of what they would think. I started to realize that I was putting peers before education and that it was an insecure, immature thought.
 

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