Why does it take part-time college students forever to graduate?
436503
I started college in 1973 and didn't graduate till 1998. I went part time and changed majors a couple of times. I worked and raised a family and did all those life necessary things to get along in the world. I became a Registered Nurse in '98 and couldn't be prouder
161653
Because there is so much more demand. 100 years ago, only the wealthiest people went to college, and many middle-class professions didn't even require college degrees, but now everyone needs a BA to do basically anything beyond retail, so in order to be more selective, colleges have to charge more. Also, it's more expensive to run a college these days, as there is much more equipment, particularly in the scientific fields that a college is expected to have.
1180327
Not all part-time degrees are not being recognised.\n\nIt is not whether it is full time or part time, but what is the course and from which university. \n\nNot all degrees from all universities are recognised.
778183
What I found best was taking summer classes.  You can often do an entire four-month course in three weeks, and you'll form great relationships with your classmates because everyone in summer school has the same attitude ("let's get this over with") and you see eachother every day (usually!).  I did my entire last year of university in a four-month summer school term.  For three of the four months I still found time to work part-time and have a social life.  It was just in the last month, when I had six horus of lectures five days a week that I had to stop working.  Be careful because not all classes are offered in the summer, so you can't plan on meeting ALL your degree requirements that way.  If I were going back to uni and had a choice, I would do as many classes during summer as possible.
352123
Universities do not have unlimited space.  They are restricted in the size of enrollment by the physical size of the buildings on the campus.  At my university, the classes are typically jammed and some students have to plan on taking 5 years to finish a degree that should be completed in 4.  There is also a limit on the number of professors and how many students that they can handle.
629308
Community colleges are often harder then regular colleges. Just with the amount of work and since there are smaller classes it is easier to get singled out.
135675
I agree with Jewel, part-time is best.  Please remember that in addition to time in class, you need to think about homework, papers, group projects, etc... It may take you longer to realize your educational goals, but higher education will always be there.  The time you have with your child won't.
947597
One of my college roommates graduated from high school a year early and then college in 3 yrs. Later she said that graduating from high school early was a good idea but that she should have stayed in college for 4 yrs. \n\nI don't think that, unless there are courses that would help get scholarships or get out of college courses, that a student needs to do that last year of high school if they don't have to.\n\nHowever, college and grad school are different. Doing college that quickly leaves no time to experience it and may be too heavy a load to allow her to do well. Sounds like she's assuming that college (and grad school) are no harder than high school, and that's not true. Also, teaching is more than understanding the material you're teaching and how to present it. She needs to make friends, gain maturity, and generally have more contact with life in order to be a good teacher. If she never learns how to relate to people, she will not be a good teacher. \n\nOn the grad school front... I don't know how M. Ed. programs are set up, but I just finished by MA in History. It would not have been possible for me to complete my MA in one year. Even if I had taken the maximum number of courses allowed, I could only have knocked off a semester. Outside of that, grad school is also an opportunity to gain life experience that, among other things, makes people more employable. I joined all of my department's student organizations and was a officer of two of them. Though my track didn't require a thesis, I wrote one. In practical terms, everybody in my program worked at least 20 hrs a week and many worked more. It wouldn't have been possible for me to take a heavier courseload and work. My job and my thesis helped me get a job after graduation that I wouldn't have been qualified for with just my degree. Having been a leader in my program makes me a more valuable employee, in several different ways.
940448
Your are working at a college, what do you expect. Colleges have a seniority system to get up the ladder. Believe me, there is a lot of office politics at colleges. However, it seems they don't want to pay you as a full time person there while they got one student working part time. Think about it, instead of having 3 full time workers, they are using 2 full time, and 2 part time workers. They got 4 workers instead of 3 under a budget they get from the guy at the top. That means they can get more work done faster than having 3 workers. Yet, again, they are under a budget which is another reason why you don't have a desk and all the perks, and your supervisor is showing off to his boss how much he is saving and the employee organization structure he set up at the same time to move up the ladder and more money for himself. Again, it is all about office politics & seniority crap. Welcome to the world of evil and greed in the work place. I suggest going somewhere else since it will be a very long time before you move up the ladder or get a full time with perks at that college. Good Luck.
882833
It is not so much what you learn by going to college, but the fact that you did it, and that it says something about you.  Of course, it will give you the qualifications to apply for many more jobs, but it will also tell employers that you had what it takes to stick with it and to graduate.  It says that you wanted to improve yourself.\n\nEmployers may believe that college graduates are more likely to be fast learners, to feel better about themselves, to be good workers, to be highly motivated, to be team players, to be able to think more analytically, and to know more about more things in general.\n\nAdditionally, from a personal point of view, getting a college degree is a maturing process and broadens ones perspective on life and the world, no matter what courses you do.\n\nSo there are a number of reasons to go to college.  Why did I go when I went?  I was 16 years old and I knew that I had to support myself and find a way to do so relatively quickly.  So initially I went for one year, then worked for a year, back to college for another year, etc.\n\nI hope these thoughts help.  Best of luck.
373959
Cause no one wants a fresh college graduate anymore.  Because all the old people still need jobs.  So they fill the position with more experienced people.\nMostly the downfall of the ecommerce broke many many people.
292530
People who started working directly after high school have 4 (or more) years of experience on the new college graduate.  But they will progress more slowly and will reach a point, in most companies, where they can advance no more.  Many jobs aren't open to a person with only a high school degree.\n\nWith a college degree, you open more doors for yourself, but you have to still pursue them.  No one is going to hand you a job, a promotion, or a raise.  A degree is not a guarantee of being successful, but it's can help a hardworking (and a  little lucky) person succeed.
3099
THis is true, mainly because people without a highschool diploma are going to be hardpressed to get a good job at all. THere are many jobs out there that require a bachelor's degree even if they don't require that level of knowledge. It's part of how this society tries to get us to just play the game. If you play the game you can get a good job. THis involves getting into college and graduating.
1181983
I had the exact same problem in college.  I think a lot of people do.  I was only 17 when I started college. I was so young, I had a great looking boy friend, that was not in college, and I did not know what to major in.  I actually quit college but not forever.  I went back and now, I have 2 college degrees.  \nJust don't give up.\nIf I were you, I would take general education classes or a couple of classes with subject you are interested in until I made a decision on a major.  English, Math, Typing, PE (Aerobics) or Sociology these classes will give you college units. You could also go to school part-time and work part-time.  That is what I did.  This will give you some time to decide on a major.
837786
In my opinion, the real world is harder than college, but maybe I was just better able to deal with the stress when I was younger!  Actually, I think it is a different type of stress - homework, term papers, exams, etc.  Those who are good at managing their time tend to do better and get less stressed.  Older students often make better students because they appreciate what an education can get you, and they don't do stupid things like stay out all night partying and getting drunk instead of studying.
208315
I guess people tend to overestimate the amount of college education around them - perhaps not surprising, I would imagine that a lot of people that never finished school probably don't hang our much online.\nThe US Census Bureau reported that in 2003, 85 percent of adults age 25 and over had completed at least high school, an all-time high.\nIn the same year, 27 percent of adults age 25 and over had a college degree, another record.\nI doubt that these numbers have changed dramatically since 2003. \nAs far as my personal surroundings are concerned, I sive in the Silicon Valley, so I would hazard the guess that the percentage of people with college degrees here is a lot higher (considering the cost of living, you nearly need a white-collar income to live here).
1072590
Yes, anyone who has finished an area of studies, is consdered a graduate. You do NOT have to have been in a university to graduate.