Listen to a conversation between a student and his academic advisor.

Academic Advisor: So tell me Elliott, you're in your second semester. Do you think you're adjusting well to college life?

Student: Yeah, I do. I've already made many good friends.

Academic Advisor: That's great. And academically, how are things? The engineering track is pretty demanding as I'm sure you know by now.

Student: It's definitely hard and I did struggle a little at first, but now I'm getting good grades.

Academic Advisor: Have you given any thought to choosing a concentration within engineering? Mechanical, civil, electrical?

Student: Maybe electrical engineering. I'm not sure.

Academic Advisor: That's fine. There's no reason to hurry into such an important decision. In fact, this is the time when you should be taking classes in as many different subjects as possible. And keep in mind that many students do change their concentration or even their major field of study somewhere down the line. It's quite common.

Student: Changing a major may be fine for some people, but I just want to pick one and stick with it because if I switch, I'll have to complete a whole new set of requirements, and that might push off my graduation date.

Academic Advisor: Yes, it might.

Student: Well, that's the thing. I've actually been thinking that I might want to graduate early.

Academic Advisor: Oh? Why is that?

Student: To save money. If I graduate in three years instead of four, that would make a huge difference financially.

Academic Advisor: Well, now think about it. To compress all your requirements into three years, you'll have to take classes during the summer and winter break. Those are intensive classes—a whole semester crammed into a few weeks. But although the time is shorter, you're not taking fewer courses. You still have to pay for them all. And something else to consider- about your concentration - if you really want to finish college in three years, you'll probably need to start taking specialized classes as soon as next semester. So your next stop should be to talk to the chair of the engineering department.

Student: Okay? Academic Advisor: Really, don't put it off. She's flying to a convention in Asia next week and you don't want to miss your opportunity.

Student: Got it. Now, what if...uh, I plan to work a summer job in my hometown? I'll paint houses with some other guys. It's a good job; it pays really well.

Academic Advisor: Then you'll need to take extra classes during the school year. You'll have a much heavier course load than most of your classmates.

Student: Yeah. I actually am a little bit worried about that. This could hurt my social life, all that studying...and they would be sad to miss out on being a senior and leave the university before all my friends do.