Araceli Gutierrez is planning to graduate a semester early this December to save money and start working.

Gutierrez, a television, radio and film major in Syracuse University’s S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, said the school has done a lot for her in terms of learning skills and rules.

“I feel like the best learning experience I had was learning while doing,” Gutierrez said. “… School is great, and I appreciate it, but I kind of feel limited at times, so I think graduating early gives me more time to figure things out.”

It has become more common to graduate a semester or even a year early for many students due to Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or transferred credits. Some students make the choice to graduate early to alleviate the financial burden of paying another year of tuition.

For most students, the decision to graduate early is personal, said Tracy Tillapaugh, assistant director of counseling at SU Career Services.

“It comes down to whether they are eager to get out into the working world or whether they would rather stay on a college campus,” she said.

Students who graduate early still have access to some of SU’s resources including taking classes during Winterlude or Maymester, Tillapaugh said. They can also take part in summer and short-term study abroad programs.

She added that taking an adviser is the best thing for students to do so they know their game plan.

“It’s really impressive a lot of times to employers to finish things early, so having those traits of being a hardworking go-getter really show through if you can show an employer that you graduated in three or three and a half years,” Tillapaugh said.

College is more than an academic exercise and often the most valuable lessons are learned outside of the classroom, said Susan Call, associate director of employer relations at SU Career Services, in an email.

Graduating early means students will have less opportunities for involvement in extracurricular activities, leadership positions, developing networking skills and forming life-long friendships, she said.

For Gutierrez, graduating early means an opportunity to get away from the college bubble that can hold her back. To anyone thinking about the idea of graduating early, she advises to use the school to advantage and be open about what they want and where they see themselves going, Gutierrez said.

“I love Syracuse and the people I’ve met and the friends I’ve made, but at the end of the day, I personally value being independent and figuring things out. I’m excited to for that,” Gutierrez said. “Realistically speaking it’s going to be difficult, but I think I’m ready.”

Published on December 6, 2016 at 2:42 am