If you’re someone like me who acquires a boat-load of credits from Excos, extra-curriculars, and advanced classes from high school, you could have the opportunity to graduate early or go part time. I decided on doing two part time semesters rather than graduating early because, long story short, I want to stay at Oberlin as long as possible. Oberlin has so many opportunities that I just can’t give up so easily. For example, I knew I would lose the wonderful resources of the Cinema and Media department, such as the Apollo editing studio and equipment from AV, so why not stay an extra semester and use the chance to build up my portfolio? I also just couldn’t say goodbye to my friends and the lovely campus life that quickly. Being part time can be a great way to save on tuition, have a relaxed schedule, or free up some time for other pursuits. So here’s all about my experience underloading!
The process of requesting an underload is really easy. Basically, if you are taking less than 14 credits, you have to request and get approved for an underload. You just fill out a form found on Oberlin’s website saying how many credits you’re requesting to take, how many credits you need to graduate, and what classes you’re thinking about taking. Then, you send this form to the registrar’s office. It took less than a week for my underload to be approved. Now you might be wondering how your tuition changes based on this. I was very worried and confused about this when I was considering an underload, especially since I have scholarships that are based on my standing as a full time student. Fortunately, I was able to go to the registrar and financial aid offices, and they explained it all to me. My scholarships were reduced based on the amount of hours I registered for, as was my tuition. The financial aid office helped me to do the calculations so I could see how much my tuition would be each semester. This helped me decide that an underload was right for me.
If you pick your schedule just the right way, you can have most of the day free and even a weekday or two off. This past semester, all of my classes were in the morning, so most days I got up for class at 9 and then had the rest of the day free. With this extra time, I’ve been working at Kendal at Oberlin in their dining halls, along with doing a bit of dog sitting here and there. I also had Thursdays completely off, which was super nice to take a breather. It’s great that I’ve been able to both work on finishing my degree and saving up some money before I graduate, especially since I’m hoping to move. Going part time can be a great way to free up some time for yourself if you want to work an internship during the semester and get some experience under your belt before you’re thrown into the workforce. When my summer internship went a bit long and carried over into the semester, I had plenty of time to give it the dedication it needed.
Of course the best part of being part time is the free time I have to relax and have fun. I’ve had plenty of time to spend baking for my co-op, hanging out with friends, working on arts and crafts, and of course getting some much needed rest. Homework and class has become a much smaller stresser, which is a lovely reward after 3 years of hard work! I’ve had so much more time to think about pursuing other passions, such as vocal lessons which I’m thinking about for next semester. The extra time was also super helpful at the beginning of the semester when I took on the arduous task of applying for a Fulbright, something I will talk about in a post very soon! Underloading can be a great way to expand your life at Oberlin and enjoy your last semesters with ease.
