Three-year graduates buck traditional college trends

Most education post-high school comes in increments of two.

Either students attend a two-year community college or a four-year university. Some go on to attend graduate programs or service programs, and others plunge head on into a career.

But a few people opt for the lesser-known three-year plan. Of Augustana's last year graduating class, four students were 2007 high-school graduates – and third-year seniors.

Mauri Becker Heesch started Augustana with 22 credits from a dual credit program at her high school and a local college. And becoming a 2010 alumna was not something she planned.

"I really didn't plan on graduating early until the day before classes started the fall of my final year," she said. "I knew I wanted to go to dental school, and dental schools do not require a degree to get in."

But instead of just completing the required core classes to start dental school and not finishing her degree, Heesch chose to complete her degree and leave Augustana a year early.

"My last semester at Augie, I had to go up to 21 credits to get everything done. It took a lot of help and accommodations from Joni, but she worked her magic and I was able to graduate."

Juggling a psychology major, Civitas participation and the dental school requirements, Heesch's schedule called for careful planning on the part of Joni Krueger, Augustana's registrar.

"In the end, this made a big difference to me – I believe it helped me get into my first choice dental school, and I'm officially an Augustana alumni, which is great," Heesch said.

Now a first year dental student at Creighton University School of Dentristy in Omaha, Heesch is exactly where she wanted – and always planned to be.

"I had known since the end of my sophomore year that I wanted to go to dental school, and I also knew from the moment I stepped on campus that Augustana would get me there," she said. "I just didn't know that it would happen so early."

2010 graduate Hannah Lincoln Thompson however, was fairly certain that her time at Augustana would be shortened from the beginning.

Entering college with 28 credits, a combination of Advanced Placement (AP) credits and college credit from Mount Marty College in Yankton, Thompson even entertained trying to graduate in two and a half years at one point.

"Ultimately, it was because of money," she said. "I had a really good scholarship, but my mom was still paying for the rest of my school expenses out of pocket. I decided that if I could free her from one more year of paying for my school, I would.

And for Thompson, that has certainly paid off, as one of few graduates to start off with no student loans whatsoever.

That may not be the case for long though, as she continues to look into furthering her education.

"I'm looking at going back to school in the fall at UNL to get teaching certification to teach high school English," she said. Working as a photo editor for a local Lincoln, Neb. photographer, Thompson is grateful to have a job, but "it is definitely not what I want to do for the rest of my life," she said.

Experiencing the reality of a post-college life has been challenging for Thompson, especially as a newlywed with a spouse in graduate school. But taking the less-travelled three-year path is something she wouldn't go back on if given the opportunity.

"Even though there are drawbacks – I miss going to school with my friends, I miss going to class and reading great things, and I even miss writing papers a bit – I love our life here [in Lincoln] even more," she said.

Both Heesch and Thompson attributed financial reasons as one of the major benefits to graduating early, something that students are becoming more and more mindful of as Augustana tuition rises to a comprehensive fee of $31, 364 for the 2010-2011 school year.

Financials aside, Krueger advocates for students to reconsider early graduation and instead take advantage of study abroad opportunities.

"I've never heard a student at graduation saying, ‘I wish I had not gone to China, Norway, Germany or Egypt', but I have heard students say, ‘I wish I had travelled abroad while I was a student,'" she said.

But for those who evade the traditional four-year plan, Heesch and Thompson have stepped forth as positive examples of what an Augustana education can provide.

"I can confidently say that Augustana prepared me for professional school," Heesch said. "I'm a big believer in the phrase ‘everything happens for a reason', and everything that fell into place over the last year and half has me in such a great place."