"Sometimes it seems like colleges are conspiring to keep kids in school longer," lamented a local parent. Her older daughter graduated from a public university in December. Her middle daughter will graduate from a private university in the spring. Both spent more time in college acquiring their undergraduate degrees than anticipated. But that is not the goal, explained Ricardo A. Delgado, Ph.D., Dean of the School of Sciences at Lindenwood University.

The goal, he said, is to help students "finish in four." Alas, a great deal of the responsibility for completing college on time rests with the student and that can be problematic.

As Dr. Delgado explained, college degree programs are designed to be completed "in sequence." When a student gets "off sequence" it's typically for one or more of the following reasons:

1. The student transferred from a different university and lost credit hours in the process. One of the great truths about college scheduling is that not all credits will transfer. While most general education and elective courses transfer easily from university to university, some degree-specific prerequisite courses may not. The solution is as simple as asking the right people. Students get into the most trouble when they try to circumvent the counseling process or fail to ask the right people and the right questions. When asking about transfer credits be as specific as possible and don't hesitate to check with the credit-receiving university as well as the issuing one.

2. The student was unaware of special circumstances. "We are a relatively small university, so we have some courses that may be offered only in the spring or fall, or which are only offered in even numbered years. Knowing when a required course is offered is vital if you want to stay on target for graduating in four," Dr. Delgado explained. He uses a color-coded document to show students where they are in the degree completion process. As the student successfully completes each required course, that line item turns blue. "I tell students, 'look how blue you're getting!'"

Dr. Delgado suggested that just as there are ways for students to fall behind schedule, there are also ways for students to get ahead of schedule — and save money in the process.

"Advanced placement or dual credit courses (taken during high school) can certainly benefit students once they enter college," Dr. Delgado said out. "Summer school can also be beneficial if you take the right course. Because summer school courses are accelerated, they can be the downfall of students, but on the flip side, Dr. Delgado said he has seen strong students do exceptionally well in summer school. "Sometimes it helps to have only one class to concentrate on, especially if it is a difficult class."

One of the ways that universities help students to experience sustained success and finish on time is by spacing out difficult degree-specific courses.

"We prefer for students to space out their general education requirements and electives throughout all four years of their college experience. In fact, sometimes we deliberately schedule courses so that students cannot take two very difficult (required) courses in the same semester," Dr. Delgado said. He also cautioned students against the temptation of 'schedule overload."

The average student enrolls in 12-15 credit hours per semester. Some can get away with taking between 15 and 18 credit hours per semester, However, taking more than 18 is strongly discouraged and at most universities requires special permission. The regulations are in place to protect students from falling grades and the health risks of undue stress.

"An overloaded schedule can absolutely be a bad idea if the student isn't 100 percent up to the task," Delgado explained.

Sometimes students can feel overwhelmed, even with just 12 credit hours. At those times, Delgado suggested that it may be best to drop a course rather than fail it. To help students continue to maintain their full-time status, he said some universities, including Lindenwood University, offer late-start courses that allow students to drop one course and add another, thus meeting the required number of courses they need in a given semester.

Part art, part science, finishing in four is not as impossible as many students and parents think.

"It's simply about finding the right mix of heavy and light courses, and asking for guidance from faculty advisors." Delgado said.