Fortunato_NC's Journal: Help Me Make a Huge Life Decision!

Okay, so this really fits no one's definition of a "problem", but I have an issue I need some help with, and time is of the essence.

I got a call from the University of Wyoming 's registrar's office today - seems they reviewed my record, corrected an error, and if I want, I can graduate on Friday with a B.S. in Business Administration. All I have to do is pay the graduation fee and drop a correspondence class I'm taking to meet the requirement that I was lacking before my record was reviewed and the error was corrected.

Sounds simple enough, right? Well, as it turns out, I have 47 hours of UW credit, and a GPA somewhere between 3.9 and 4.0. If I had the same GPA and *48* hours of UW credit, I would be eligible to graduate with honors (specifically, magna cum laude). So, I have three options:

1. Graduate now, with a plain "no honors" degree.
2. Complete the correspondence course, graduate in December with honors.
3. Drop the correspondence course, take something I really want to be taking, and graduate with honors in December. (I suppose I didn't mention I really don't like the correspondence course)

I called a couple of graduate school admissions office to ask how much honors mattered to them, and they told me for the most part, that it didn't. One (USC) said that it really depended on the school or department, that some were more impressed by things like that than others.

I have to make my decision one way or the other by Friday morning. If you were in my shoes, what would you do? Stick it out, or take the diploma and run?

Hmmm. Tough one.

[dexterpexter]

Okay, here is what I am thinking.

The big deciding factor, in the end, is your GPA. Honors programs are so subjective--some schools hand out honors like candy, not requiring a GPA as high as yours. One more hour at your university is not going to make a big deal to the people that matter. (Except at my university, where you have to have 60 hours taken at the institution to even graduate, you lucky son-of-a-gun.)

I doubt a one-hour course is going to change your GPA that much. In the end, again because h

Re:Hmmm. Tough one.

[Fortunato_NC]

I've gotten feedback from about 50 individuals on this, and I've noticed a pattern - the more practical people I know say graduate now, while the more sentimental people I know say go for the honors. I already know the graduate schools don't care one way or the other.

Right now I'm leaning towards graduating tomorrow, and starting a master's program in the Fall, or at least take some graduate classes by distance education without actually enrolling in a program. Thanks for your insight!

Re:Hmmm. Tough one.

[dexterpexter]

Well, there might be another option. See, I had two classes hanging out at the end of my undergraduate run (six measely hours keeping me from graduating a year early), and was used to taking 18 hour semesters. So, I decided to go to graduate school at the same college I was doing my undergraduate work, and talked to the "right people" to get specially, conditionally admitted to the graduate school. I was an undergraduate and graduate student at the same time. The load was about what I was used to as an u

Re:Hmmm. Tough one.

[coolguy81]

...I would prob stick it out and graduate with Honors... Even though it may not help with grad school, I believe I would sacrifice a little time for the prestige :)