minute segment. This allowed me to keep tabs on how much time I spent on a specific task, and served as a to-do list. Get a planner and write down everything you can conceivably imagine yourself doing during the day. This is probably the simplest step in the whole process.

2) Pick a Major you Love-I started out as a Business major and switched to Communication Studies. Thank God for th

Okay okay, so it took me six semesters (without summer school) overall, but only because I dropped a semester due to an illness. But this article isn't about that one missed semester, it is about how to finish college sooner than the average student and have a blast doing it! Now, this was back in the day-but I am willing to bet that one can still use these tips to 'work the system.'

Why 5 semesters? Why not 2 or 3?

Yes-it can be done in 2 or 3 semesters, and there have been people who have done it. But five semesters allows you to experience college FULLY and cultivate a social life. I graduated with honors, sustained a long distance relationship, made lots of friends, and established excellent relations with my professors. Why not more than five? Well, because in my experience I enjoyed college to the optimal level as those who spent more that five semesters. After the five semester mark, all the "collegiate" lessons are a repeat. The learning curve, in my opinion, pretty much stabilizes after the fourth semester. The fifth semester is added on for good measure.

Why Rush It?

You don't have to to rush it. I did it because 1) I could. 2) It was fun. 3) I wanted to move on to even bigger and better things. 4) I love to optimize. 5) I wanted the freedom to travel. 6) It saved me a ton of money. The five semester plan is not for everyone, but for those who do want to, I will show you how.

1) Get Super Organized- On average I took 18 to 21 hours a semester. And it was completely doable. I had a planner in which I recorded every 30 minute segment. This allowed me to keep tabs on how much time I spent on a specific task, and served as a to-do list. Get a planner and write down everything you can conceivably imagine yourself doing during the day. This is probably the simplest step in the whole process.

2) Pick a Major you Love-I started out as a Business major and switched to Communication Studies. Thank God for tha

y 5 semesters? Why not 2 or 3?

Yes-it can be done in 2 or 3 semesters, and there have been people who have done it. But five semesters allows you to experience college FULLY and cultivate a social life. I graduated with honors, sustained a long distance relationship, made lots of friends, and established excellent relations with my professors. Why not more than five? Well, because in my experience I enjoyed college to the optimal level as those who spent more that five semesters. After the five semester mark, all the "collegiate" lessons are a repeat. The learning curve, in my opinion, pretty much stabilizes after the fourth semester. The fifth semester is added on for good measure.

Why Rush It?

You don't have to to rush it. I did it because 1) I could. 2) It was fun. 3) I wanted to move on to even bigger and better things. 4) I love to optimize. 5) I wanted the freedom to travel. 6) It saved me a ton of money. The five semester plan is not for everyone, but for those who do want to, I will show you how.

1) Get Super Organized- On average I took 18 to 21 hours a semester. And it was completely doable. I had a planner in which I recorded every 30 minute segment. This allowed me to keep tabs on how much time I spent on a specific task, and served as a to-do list. Get a planner and write down everything you can conceivably imagine yourself doing during the day. This is probably the simplest step in the whole process.

2) Pick a Major you Love-I started out as a Business major and switched to Communication Studies. Thank God for th

experience I enjoyed college to the optimal level as those who spent more that five semesters. After the five semester mark, all the "collegiate" lessons are a repeat. The learning curve, in my opinion, pretty much stabilizes after the fourth semester. The fifth semester is added on for good measure.

Why Rush It?

You don't have to to rush it. I did it because 1) I could. 2) It was fun. 3) I wanted to move on to even bigger and better things. 4) I love to optimize. 5) I wanted the freedom to travel. 6) It saved me a ton of money. The five semester plan is not for everyone, but for those who do want to, I will show you how.

1) Get Super Organized- On average I took 18 to 21 hours a semester. And it was completely doable. I had a planner in which I recorded every 30 minute segment. This allowed me to keep tabs on how much time I spent on a specific task, and served as a to-do list. Get a planner and write down everything you can conceivably imagine yourself doing during the day. This is probably the simplest step in the whole process.

2) Pick a Major you Love-I started out as a Business major and switched to Communication Studies. Thank God for th

fun. 3) I wanted to move on to even bigger and better things. 4) I love to optimize. 5) I wanted the freedom to travel. 6) It saved me a ton of money. The five semester plan is not for everyone, but for those who do want to, I will show you how.

1) Get Super Organized- On average I took 18 to 21 hours a semester. And it was completely doable. I had a planner in which I recorded every 30 minute segment. This allowed me to keep tabs on how much time I spent on a specific task, and served as a to-do list. Get a planner and write down everything you can conceivably imagine yourself doing during the day. This is probably the simplest step in the whole process.

2) Pick a Major you Love-I started out as a Business major and switched to Communication Studies. Thank God for th

minute segment. This allowed me to keep tabs on how much time I spent on a specific task, and served as a to-do list. Get a planner and write down everything you can conceivably imagine yourself doing during the day. This is probably the simplest step in the whole process.

2) Pick a Major you Love-I started out as a Business major and switched to Communication Studies. Thank God for that. My major in Corporate Communication combined business skills with interpersonal communication skills. The always focusing on the 'bottom line' was a real turnoff for me while I briefly explored the business school. I wasted my first semester in classes that were too huge and suffered through Calculus. It just wasn't for me. If you pick a major you love, you will actually WANT to do the work. Okay, at least you won't loathe picking up the textbook. I loved every single class that I took in my particular major. I was a sponge, soaking up concepts, because I loved it. It resonated deeply within me, so I had no problem writing a ten page paper on leadership styles. Pick a major you love, or at least one that you think you love, and you will be much happier for it. I had a few people tell me that leaving the prestigious McCombs Business school was a mistake and that so many students were just dying to get in. I am glad I ignored those people and listened to my intuition. I suggest you do the same.

3) Weigh Cost Versus Benefit- The only classes I made B's in were the ones that I chose to just take the B in. The cost (work required) was just not worth the benefit (making an A). There were many times where I had to skip a class in order to turn in a paper on time or to study for an exam in another class. If you do a quick cost-benefit analysis on whether to attend or not attend a class-you will be just fine. Throughout college, I enjoyed a long distance relationship. He was in Nashville, and I was in Austin. Often, I took off for a few weeks to go visit.