Programs Should I take an extra year to finish my degree?

  • Thread starter Thread starter InvalidID
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Degree Year
AI Thread Summary
Dropping a course to maintain a manageable workload of four courses per semester is a decision made to reduce stress, as five courses are deemed overwhelming. After completing eight semesters, six required courses and four liberal arts courses will remain. The proposed plan includes taking three courses in the ninth semester and two in the tenth, potentially extending the degree completion timeline by an additional year. Questions arise regarding the equivalency of liberal arts courses to core subjects like calculus or physics, and whether they align with general education requirements. Suggestions include considering summer school for these courses, as some students have successfully used that time to lighten their regular semester load. While liberal arts courses may involve extensive reading and writing, they are generally perceived as easier compared to core subjects. Overall, taking an extra year is viewed positively, allowing for opportunities like internships.
InvalidID
Messages
84
Reaction score
3
I'm going to be dropping a course and I'm only going to take 4 courses per semester. 5 courses is too much for me. I can do it, but it's very stressful.

Semester 1: 5 courses
Semester 2: 4 courses (going to drop a course tomorrow)
Semester 3: 4 courses
Semester 4: 4 courses
Semester 5: 4 courses
Semester 6: 4 courses
Semester 7: 4 courses
Semester 8: 4 courses

At the end of semester 8, I will have 6 required courses from my degree to complete and 4 liberals. I guess I could do the following:

Semester 9: 3 courses 2 liberals
Semester 10: 3 courses 2 liberals

Is this kind of stupid? I'll need to take an additional year to finish my degree.

How much time is needed for a liberal? Is 1 liberal equivalent to 1 course in calculus or physics?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Is a "liberal" the same thing as a GenEd (general education requirement) or core? If so, have you thought about taking them during summer school? I did this for three summers, taking core courses, because I had a double major going.
 
Nothing wrong with staying an "extra" year (5 years is the average).

I'm glad I did because it allowed me to get an internship only available to current undergrads.

So I say enjoy it while it lasts and don't feel bad.

Some Liberal Arts course can be a bother since they require lots of reading and writing that you may find boring, but they are much easier.
 
After a year of thought, I decided to adjust my ratio for applying the US/EU(+UK) schools. I mostly focused on the US schools before, but things are getting complex and I found out that Europe is also a good place to study. I found some institutes that have professors with similar interests. But gaining the information is much harder than US schools (like you have to contact professors in advance etc). For your information, I have B.S. in engineering (low GPA: 3.2/4.0) in Asia - one SCI...
I graduated with a BSc in Physics in 2020. Since there were limited opportunities in my country (mostly teaching), I decided to improve my programming skills and began working in IT, first as a software engineer and later as a quality assurance engineer, where I’ve now spent about 3 years. While this career path has provided financial stability, I’ve realized that my excitement and passion aren’t really there, unlike what I felt when studying or doing research in physics. Working in IT...
Hello, I’m an undergraduate student pursuing degrees in both computer science and physics. I was wondering if anyone here has graduated with these degrees and applied to a physics graduate program. I’m curious about how graduate programs evaluated your applications. In addition, if I’m interested in doing research in quantum fields related to materials or computational physics, what kinds of undergraduate research experiences would be most valuable?
Back
Top