Western Courier

Issue date: 9/14/05 Section: News

Media Credit: Elliott Van Fleet Financial issues and family problems are just a few factors students need to consider when planning to graduate on time.

Lucas Howerter, senior, was not always a bilingual/bicultural education major. Like many students on campus, he changed his major. He said it was a good decision to decide what he actually wanted to do despite the additional time it is taking him to complete his degree.

"It's taking me more than four years basically because when I arrived here I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. I floated between a couple of different majors and then tried for bilingual education. I love it and it's my dream job," Howerter said. "Now I just want to get my bachelor's as quickly as possible, and get my teaching certificates through a master's program."

Like Howerter, many Western students take longer than four years to graduate. According to the Registrar's office, the average graduation rate is approximately 4.5 years. Figures show that in 2002 only 31.4 percent of first-time freshmen graduated in four years, and only about 53 to 54 percent of these students graduate within six years.

Charlie Gilbert, Institutional Research and Planning director, said this figure stems from many factors. Financial problems, family issues, changing majors and minors, transferring and military call-ups are all things that can delay graduation. He said six years is the time frame it takes most students to graduate.

"(We) have economic issues, we have more people who need to work on things, and they are more likely to drop out and work. We have a lot of students in the military. They get called up," Gilbert said.

He also mentioned Western's performance in graduation rate, approximately 55 to 56 percent within six years, is relatively better than other universities across the country. He feels it is more important to graduate with degrees rather than pondering the time it takes.

Gilbert said that it is important for students to know what they want to do with their lives and pick a major accordingly. He added that it is common to come across students who extend their respective graduation dates to discover what they can excel at.

"We have more than 100 majors, we have 30 percent of students come here to Western, they don't know what they are going to major in. They are general orientation students, which means they are exploring," Gilbert said.

Continued...

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