Ashley Bolter at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo graduation in June 2024.
Credit: Courtesy of Ashley Bolter
When I first arrived at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, I thought I would be there for four years and that I would graduate with the friends I made in my first weeks of school.
But sitting in my freshman dorm room, roughly planning out the classes I would take each quarter to finish my degree, I was surprised to find out that I would graduate early if I stayed on the track I was on.
I have always loved school and wanted to learn as much as I possibly could. When I was younger, I even imagined myself getting a doctorate just so I could stay in school longer. Ironically, it was this love of school that shortened my time in college.
Because I wanted to take as many classes as I could in high school, I jumped on the opportunity to take Advanced Placement and dual enrollment classes at the local colleges. These classes allowed me to enter college with extra units, meaning I would only need to take one class during my fourth year.
But being a first-generation college student relying on financial aid and scholarships to get through school meant I couldn’t afford to be a part-time student. While I could have filled my schedule with unnecessary classes or picked up a third minor, graduating early was the best decision for me.
Many people say to make the most of college because it goes by really fast; I found that to be true. Yet knowing that I was on track to finish a year ahead of schedule, I planned for that shorter timetable. I was still able to get everything out of my college experience that I wanted, while improving my time management skills and saving a bit of money.
On top of taking an average of 20 units every quarter, I was able to participate in the extracurriculars I wanted, such as marching band, writing for the school newspaper, working a part-time job, interning in the field I wanted to work in and spending time with friends.
A lot of this was the result of carefully planning my schedule each quarter and thinking of backups in case I couldn’t get into the classes I needed. I also had to be really organized to stay on top of assignments and activities. Keeping a detailed planner and physically checking off requirements when they were completed really helped me with this.
Although the busy schedule added more stress in the moment, and I was sad to leave my friends behind, I’m happy I was able to complete my degree in the amount of time that made sense for me. And equally important, I feel ready to enter my career.
Taking four years to complete my degree isn’t what worked for me; and four years is increasingly not working for college students across the country, as well. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, only 49% of undergraduate students who started college in 2016 graduated within four years, and completion of a bachelor’s program is now defined as graduating within six years.
Students shouldn’t feel forced into following the rigid four-year timeline of completion that universities often put out. Students should take however long makes sense and is manageable for them. For me, that was three years. For some it might be the traditional four years and for others it might be six to seven years.
However long it takes them, students should be able to look back on their college years feeling satisfied and prepared for their next step in life.
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Ashley Bolter, a recent graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, is a member of EdSource’s California Student Journalism Corps.
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