Is graduating late detrimental to your career?

[DrManhattanVB]

Im a sophomore and already worried i may not graduate on time. so I am wondering if this damages grad school opportunities, or ability to get good jobs?

 

[General_Sax]

I wouldn't worry about it. I'm in the same boat. I'll probably graduate a semester late.

 

[lisab]

No one has ever asked me, during a job interview, how long it took me to get my degree.

I might add: if a hiring manager is such a goofball that that he thinks graduating in exactly 4 years is a good predictor of the value of an employee, I wouldn't want to work for that employer anyway.

 

[Choppy]

People go through undergrad via different paths and grad school committees are generally well aware of this. Some people take time off to work or volunteer or travel. Others get involved in various projects or extra-cirricular activities. Others get sick or can experience a personal or family crisis at some point over that traditional 4 year block.

The only caveat that I can think of is that if you've played a bit of a game, taking less than a traditional course load simply to inflate your GPA, some committees may see through that.

 

[DrManhattanVB]

I don't see why taking a less traditional, maybe even a relaxed course load is necessarily a bad thing though, if you can afford to take some extra time to graduate, you will still graduate having taken the same courses, and can make a claim that you were maximizing your available time, and taking a more relaxed course load in order to focus more on each individual class. If you have a mastery of the material, i don't think it should matter either way.

 

[Chunkysalsa]

I have a simmilar question too. I might take 5 years to graduate (well maybe 4.5) to take some extra classes that I feel might be interesting. Maybe even a small minor or something. Engineering is a pretty packed track to begin with.

 

[Vanadium 50]

Is graduating late detrimental to your career?

Not nearly as much as not graduating at all.