How I Completed a 3-year degree in Only 2 years. And How You Can Too
A little bit of backstory: I started my first semester of university in the Autumn of 2017. After my first semester, I did surprisingly well in all the introductory classes and I felt that I had too much free time on my hands, so I decided to start taking some classes in advance, from the 2nd and 3rd year of studies. By the beginning of the fifth semester I had passed all my classes; completed my mandatory 120 hours of internship; written my thesis; defended my thesis and graduated with a GPA of 4.5/5. While my peers were starting their final year of Bachelor’s; I was starting my Master’s program.
Check if it’s even possible to complete classes in advance. In most cases, your university will allow you to register for courses in advance. It’s only under certain circumstances that enrolling into one class requires you to have passed a certain prerequisite class. Remember that universities should aim to support the goals of bright and ambitious students, therefore they can accommodate for your goals. If you still experience some resistance in enrolling for classes in advance then my next tip should help with that.
Develop a good relationship with your student office and administration. This is absolutely crucial if you want to be able to accomplish this. Throughout my journey to complete my degree in 2 years I encountered a number of problems which could have completely derailed my plans and which could only be solved by administrative powers. For instance, by the end of the fourth semester, I had passed all my classes, except for one. Fortunately, I had a good relationship with the Vice-dean of the faculty and she made an exception for me to join a repetition course for this last class (Usually, such repetition courses are only reserved for those who had failed the regular class). If I hadn’t managed to do this it would mean I would have to stay another semester in order to complete just one class. How do you develop this relationship? It’s not as hard as it sounds. It does not mean that you need to bribe your student office with chocolates and other sweets (although, it could help). It just means you need to be polite, respectful and non-combative. Whatever bureaucratic procedures you have to go through, you do it. Without any resistance from your side. Whichever way they want you to fill out a form, you do it exactly the way they tell you to. Remember that you are doing something unorthodox by attempting to expedite your degree, so you don’t want to create any additional problems for your student office. If you do this correctly your administration will even support you, as it is a refreshing change for them to have a determined smart student in their office, as opposed to the usual complaints that they receive from students about professors, schedule problems, failed classes…
Find what motivates you. You won’t last the whole two years if you don’t have the right motivation. The “right” motivation is just a reason for why you want to do this. It really needs to click with who you are. If you don’t know what motivates you in life, then I highly recommend doing a Myer-Brigs type indicator test. To use me as an example: I have an ESTP personality type. People with this personality type like to break the rules and are quite impatient. Going against the grain and completing the course in 2 years was my way of “breaking the rules” and saving one year of my life was how I curbed my impatience. Are you doing it to make a point to someone? Is the degree just a stepping stone for you to get to your dream job? Do you want to have the time to take a year off and travel the world?
Sacrifices have to be made. The amount of sacrifices you have to make depends on how quickly you want to complete your course and how much you have on your plate. It’s important that you realise this from the onset. For me, it meant having to give up my Summer vacation in order to write my thesis and complete my mandatory internship. I spent the whole Summer working 7–9 hours in a Bank during the day, and at night writing my thesis in cafes. Sacrificing one Summer for an extra whole year of my life was definitely a worthy exchange. Besides your time, you will also have to sacrifice your grades (at least, to some extent). Like I said, I graduated with a 4.5/5 GPA; whereas now in my Master’s program (which I have decided to take at the normal pace) I have a close to 5.0 GPA.
Create a plan of attack. Print out your syllabus, so that you have a clear understanding of everything that is required of you to complete your degree. Do you have to do take any Physical Education classes? Do you have to do an internship in a job connected with your field? Do you have any other small little nagging requirements, like passing a Health and Safety exam? Plan out which classes you need to take in each semester. You will find that you may need to adjust your plans, for example, if you find that in one semester you have two classes at the same time. Flexibility is key.
Pick up tips from the student in the year above yours. As you start to take classes in advance, you will have close contact with students from the years above. These veterans will have a lot of handy tips to get you through your course. Take this opportunity to ask them for advice. Who is the best teacher for this class? What is the best or easiest specialisation class to take? Do you have any study materials for this class?
How did I study? I won’t tell you how to study, because I think your studying style is highly dependent on who you are as a person. I will just tell you five things that worked for me:
1. If I could help it, I never skipped a class or lecture
2. I always sat up front, as close as possible to the lecturer (more on this topic)
3. Pay attention, be active in class, answer your Professors’ questions and ask questions (either during or after the class). Always treat your teachers with the utmost respect.
4. Study in groups. Learning by teaching others is one of the best ways to solidify your knowledge (see the Feynman technique).
5. Cramming the night before exams. This was in most cases by necessity, rather than choice, regardless it still proved to be highly effective.
In closing, I just want to reassure that it is not as hard as it sounds. There will be sleepless nights and stressful exam sessions, but you would probably experience these things irrespective of your approach. You will find that the closer and closer you get to the finish line the more motivated you will become, and as a result, the easier it will get. I only started actively pursuing my goal after the first semester. If you start from the get-go you will have more time and be better prepared than I was. Take this challenge. Prove to yourself that you are capable of much more than you think.