University study loads

[Potatohater]

Ok so, as I’m sure the regulars know, I havnt been around on the forum much lately as my uni life has just gotten SOOO hectic and in response to that I’m now having a bit of a dialemma and just wanna see what y’all think.

Currently I’m doing a Bachelor of Arts and Advanced Studies which is 4 years
A) I don’t know if I want to do the Advanced Studies part anymore (but I can’t tell because that stuff doesn’t happen till 4th year)
And B) If I ditch the Advanced Studies degree should I reduce my study load to 18cp (normally a semester is 24) and finish a 3 year degree in the original 4?

I kinda wanna drop down to 18cp to give me more space to juggle all of my commitments and actually do well in all my units rather than trying to just pass (I tend to focus on three units and neglect one and it’s a struggle to pass that one) BUT I don’t wanna impact the length of time my degree takes, which is why the Advanced Studies part is now called into question aswell. My boyfriend was also saying that doing my degree at the full study load “prepares you for the ‘real world’” and “it looks bad to employers if you do a 3 year degree in 4 years”, both arguments kinda smell like BS to me, so I’d like to see what some other people think 

[jamonwindeyer]

My boyfriend was also saying that doing my degree at the full study load “prepares you for the ‘real world’” and “it looks bad to employers if you do a 3 year degree in 4 years”, both arguments kinda smell like BS to me, so I’d like to see what some other people think 

Hey PH! Without wanting to discredit your BF, that does sound a bit hollow. Employers don't care about how long it took you to get your piece of paper, they care about your piece of paper and your employable qualities. Maybe a full study load is more indicative of the real world, but they are still very different (I did uni for three years and am working full time this year, back to uni next year, very different in terms of the type of demand they place on you)

Not sure about whether you should keep Advanced Studies, and not sure if you should do the degree slower if you do ditch it. But I think equipping yourself to perform at your maximum in your course can only be a good thing. I suppose it's about whether the Adv Studies stuff is useful to you/something you enjoy?

[Joseph41]

My boyfriend was also saying that doing my degree at the full study load “prepares you for the ‘real world’” and “it looks bad to employers if you do a 3 year degree in 4 years”, both arguments kinda smell like BS to me, so I’d like to see what some other people think 

What's this based on? I wouldn't have thought it would have had much if any impact.

[Potatohater]

What's this based on? I wouldn't have thought it would have had much if any impact.

Yeah I don't know, seemed really weird to me, hence why I said it sounds like BS, especially since people can deffer and stuff

Hey PH! Without wanting to discredit your BF, that does sound a bit hollow. Employers don't care about how long it took you to get your piece of paper, they care about your piece of paper and your employable qualities. Maybe a full study load is more indicative of the real world, but they are still very different (I did uni for three years and am working full time this year, back to uni next year, very different in terms of the type of demand they place on you)

Not sure about whether you should keep Advanced Studies, and not sure if you should do the degree slower if you do ditch it. But I think equipping yourself to perform at your maximum in your course can only be a good thing. I suppose it's about whether the Adv Studies stuff is useful to you/something you enjoy?

Thanks for that! Whilst yes, you can't make my descisions for me it's definatley helped and I think I know what I'm going to do now.

Also, discredit my BF all you like, he thinks he's right all the time 

[K888]

I guess another question to ask is is it possible to cut down on some of your commitments? Like are they all super necessary or do you reckon you could cut back your hours or ditch one or something? Uni life is busy (particularly first year) and I found once I took a few things out of my schedule it got easier.

I also agree re: the 3 vs 4 year thing - I don't think it matters. Like Jamon says, it's the qualification that matters.

[Potatohater]

I guess another question to ask is is it possible to cut down on some of your commitments? Like are they all super necessary or do you reckon you could cut back your hours or ditch one or something? Uni life is busy (particularly first year) and I found once I took a few things out of my schedule it got easier.

I also agree re: the 3 vs 4 year thing - I don't think it matters. Like Jamon says, it's the qualification that matters.

Yeah I’ve known I need to cut back on the commitments for a while and know some of the ones im going to cull. Currently thinking I should cut back on the degree AND the commitments, so that it’s easier to keep my life together and the commitments I do keep can get more of the attention they deserve.

[Sine]

If you do your degree in 4 years e.g. 2018-2021 the first thing they will probably check is whether you failed a unit. If you haven't there really should be any problem - they might ask why but I don't think it will hold too much weight. Doing very well across 4 years is definitely better than just scraping through in 3 imo. Although, failing a unit isn't the end of the world (as long as you can reflect on why someone failed and what the have changed later on)

Also it's not too uncommon - a lot of law students at monash will extend their course by half a year to a year (in both single/double degrees).

You'll also find that after 1st year most people get better at managing their time and knowing the amount of time they need to dedicate to certain aspects of the course.

[K888]

Yeah I’ve known I need to cut back on the commitments for a while and know some of the ones im going to cull. Currently thinking I should cut back on the degree AND the commitments, so that it’s easier to keep my life together and the commitments I do keep can get more of the attention they deserve.

Sweet - sounds like a good plan.

IMO it sounds like you're at least leaning a fair bit towards dropping down in CP. Why not give this a shot for a semester? If you like it, you can keep on going. If you wanna go back to 24 then cool. If you want to stay with 18, great! I feel like a large amount of students end up not completing their degree in what is the usual specified time for the degree. The world of employment is still gonna be there even if you take another semester or whatever to complete your degree

Maybe also have a chat to a course counsellor at your uni? They could potentially give some good insight.

[turinturambar]

I guess my question would be: Is this a decision you have to make finally now?  Or would like to make now just to get it done and out of the way?  For the Advanced Studies, for example, obviously it would be harder to get back into if you say reduce your load for next semester and then want to go back again - but do you have to tell your uni now that you want to drop it?  Or can you see how you feel about after another semester or two?

[Potatohater]

Thanks K888 and Sine, definitely helps!

I guess my question would be: Is this a decision you have to make finally now?  Or would like to make now just to get it done and out of the way?  For the Advanced Studies, for example, obviously it would be harder to get back into if you say reduce your load for next semester and then want to go back again - but do you have to tell your uni now that you want to drop it?  Or can you see how you feel about after another semester or two?

I wanted to make the descision now because there were 4cp I was worried about failing and didn’t know how i’d fit them into the other years if I did, and still finish on time, now with this descision I don’t have to worry about that, only the financial penalty (since this definitely won’t happen again to make it too detrimental achedemic wise I hope)
As for Advanced Studies, reducing my load doesn’t forfeight that, just takes longer to do, and since I don’t do and Advanced Studies units till 4th year I’ve decided to keep it until I get closer to make that descision. If I keep it, we’re looking at 4.5-5 years and if I don’t its 3.5-4 years so no big deal to postpone that descision.

[appleandbee]

A bit late to the party, but I'll add in my two cent.

If you want to lighten your study load, please do it because you have time-consuming (but worthwhile or neccessary) commitments but still want respectable grades instead of because you dropped the advanced portion of your degree. If you do decide to drop the advanced portion of your degree, embrace the opportunity to graduate earlier (it's the main reason why people drop parts of their degree). Even if you do decide to continue with the advanced option, there is nothing wrong in completing it in 5 years instead of 4.

I don't think employers care to much if you take slightly longer for your degree (saying that as someone that has took a couple of breaks as a result of life circumstances and health reasons), especially if you have valuable commitments and life experiences to boot. If you take significantly longer (like double the times) or there are significant time gaps in your CV, you may have to explain it to graduate schools or employers, but valuable life experiences or difficult circumstances are usually considered valid. Also at least a significant minority of students don't finish degrees on time for various reasons-health, life circumstances, travel, uni exchange, work, extra-curriculars, so you are far from alone.

Also I totally get it with wanting to juggle extra-curriculars, I think there are many good reasons for doing so-especially if they are worthwhile to you. Like work is necessary for most students. And there are things like writing plays/screenplays, start-ups or setting up a community that project that may only be relevant at a certain point in time, depending on the societal climate. And in fields like theatre, it's really good to get experience and mentorship opportunities when you are in your late teens and early 20s. And other experiences like doing sport or debating at a national and international level (whether in uni or outside), which are once in a lifetime experiences (not to mention really valued by grad schools and employers, debating has helped me get quite a few opportunities). I usually drop a subject just before the census date though because in some semesters, you may have easier subjects that makes a full study load more manageable.