What?  You want to graduate in 4 years?...
What's the hurry?

5 great reasons to graduate in four years:

    * minimizes your costs
    * launches you on your chosen career path faster
    * maximizes your life-long earning potential and personal satisfaction
    * keeps you from getting tired and burning out
    * keeps you focused
 
Northeastern State University is providing helpful hints to speed you on your way...

    * Meet with your departmental academic advisor each semester.
    * Ask the Transfer Student Coordinator or your academic advisor about credit for transfer work.
       (Make sure you get full credit!)
    * Declare your major as soon as you are eligible. That cuts down on extra classes.
    * Get to know your professors and the NSU staff. They can help cut through red tape and solve problems.
    * Register with Career Services. Attend one of their many career fairs and let them advise you on resumes
       and interview skills.
    * Maintain balance. All work and no play makes for a dull life, but all play and no work makes for a
       disaster in college. Find a balance.
     
For most students, earning a degree in four or five years is possible with a little planning.  Let's look at some ways to get going, get out and get on with your life...

Get Going!

Plan Academically...

Choose a major you enjoy. Don't know what one? That's OK. The first two years of classes are mostly general education classes, so there's plenty of time to explore various fields. Try to settle on a major by the end of your third semester.  Check out possible careers by going to career fairs provided by Career Services.

Know your degree requirements! Check out your major's degree check sheet and the NSU Catalog to see what classes you'll need.

Develop a four-year degree plan. Once you have a major and/or minor chosen, get a degree check sheet from the division office of your college.  Take 31 credit hours per year, divided between fall and spring semesters. You can mix it up with intersession classes and summer classes as well as normal fall and spring semesters.

Meet with your advisor and enroll early to get the prime classes. Make up a "draft schedule" by selecting classes then meet with your advisor so you can enroll as soon as possible.

Choose a mix of classes that is right for you. Mix those that you feel are difficult with those you feel will be easy. Enroll in classes you think you will like along with those you think you won't like each semester. Maintain continuous enrollment in sequential classes, such as foreign languages and math, until you meet the graduation requirement.

Exercise self-discipline - The easiest way to complete a semester is to go to class, complete assignments, and don't drop a course. Schedule about 2 hours of study time for every hour you're in class. It's easy, and it's why you're here.

Stay focused. We want you to enjoy attending NSU and participating in a variety of activities, but stay focused on the goal of earning a diploma.

Plan Financially...
          
Determine your cost of going to NSU. How much does it cost? Use the Tuition Estimator to determine how much it will cost per year to attend NSU. Take the number of hours you'll be enrolling in and multiply it by cost per hour. Add about how much you'll spend on books and on living expenses. Keep it realistic!

Determine your financial resources.

    * Savings: Do you have enough for four to five years?
    * Contributions: Add funds from relatives or others who are willing to help.
    * Income: Working fewer that 15-20 hours a week is OK. More than that puts you at risk of not
       graduating at all.

Determine how much money you still need. Take the total amount needed minus your financial resources. In order to get the rest:

Apply for as much financial aid as possible, even if you don't think you are eligible! Apply early!
Borrow the rest of the money needed. You may not want to be in debt as you graduate, but starting a career sooner will help offset loan payments. Low-interest education loans are a great investment!
    
Visit these sites for more information:
          ●    Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) - http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/
          ●    FinAid - http://www.nsuok.edu/finaid
          ●    US Dept. of Education, Student Aid on the Web - http://studentaid.ed.gov

Apply early and often for scholarships.  Visit with the NSU Scholarship Office or check your NSU email for scholarship updates.

Get Out!

After you have 85 hours, ask for a degree check from the Degree Auditor located in the Office of Admission and Records. Don't wait! You may have missed something and now is the time to fix it so you can still graduate on time.

Fill out a Graduation Application early in your last semester. You MUST have this to graduate. Pick one up in the Office of Admission and Records.

Get on with Your Life!

What are you going to do after you get that diploma? NSU offers a lot of help in starting a career.
●    Get registered with NSU’s Career Services.
●    Attend a career fair to see what your options are.
●    Do an internship or sign up for a co-op experience.
●    Seek advice from professors, alumni and friends to see what careers may be available.