Kyle Shack is like many college students: He didn’t graduate on time, U.S. News reports.
“When entering college, I expected it to be four years; that’s what my parents had expected; and I’d say that’s what my fellow classmates expected,” says Shack, who earned his bachelor’s degree in five years from Michigan State University [1] and is now working toward his teaching certification. “I definitely am in the majority of students [I know] who have taken longer.”
In fact, only about 40 percent of first-time, full-time students graduate with a bachelor’s degree in four years on average, according to data reported by colleges to U.S. News. (This data, the most recent available, relates to freshmen who began college in 2004 and completed a degree at that same school by August 31, 2008, based on statistics reported by 1,201 institutions.) Sometimes, roadblocks to graduation are personal; family issues might take precedence, or students may have to pick up extra shifts at work, instead of more courses, to fund their education…