We are a rushed society. We want quick, if not instant, results for everything we do. Just look at infomercials or scam emails that promise rapid weight loss, get rich quick, instantly become more attractive, and other such claims. Common sense helps most of us from falling for those shiny yet shallow promises.
The same is true of higher education. A great many for-profit institutions that promise you will earn a certificate or degree in a rapid amount of time are not quality programs. They tend to be a waste of time and money as well as lacking accreditation and respect from professional communities. Graduates of for-profit programs are often shocked to find that their credits do not transfer to other institutions or are not considered to fulfill the criteria for graduate school programs. Some for-profit setups, as in diploma mills where one buys the degree of choice, are downright fraudulent. This is not to say that legitimate educational institutions do not offer fast-track type programs. Some certainly do, and the workloads and concentration of time commitment are intense.
A more common clash between the concepts of quality and speed in higher education comes when a student wants to finish as quickly as possible so she or he can get on with their career and the rest of life. While certainly some students are capable of taking very heavy classloads every semester and getting excellent grades and truly absorbing knowledge while they do so, from my experience, they are few and far between. Here are a few things to consider about moving fast versus slow through your higher education.
Fast. Typical short-term classes last from 5 to 8 weeks, and taking them can be a good strategy to speed up progress toward your degree if you are careful about which classes you choose to complete this way. A common mistake I have seen students make is to take a class they particularly dread or dislike in a short format to "get it over with as quickly as possible." When students have strong negative feelings toward a class, it is usually because the material is difficult for them. Difficult classes are better taken during a traditional semester in case there are bumps in the learning road to resolve along the way.
Students are more likely to be successful in short-term classes if they already have a strong foundation of knowledge in the subject area, if they have a lot of time just to devote to doing coursework during the length of the class, and if they have strong motivation and self-discipline.
Slow. It's often said that good things take time, and this can be true of your education. The goal of higher education is to learn, and learning does not happen overnight. Let's look at this from a class level and an educational career level.
While some students may think the traditional 16 or 18 week semester is too long for any class, having this amount of time to absorb and integrate material can result in more meaningful learning. This can be especially important in foundation classes in your major or particularly difficult classes. Longer length classes are also more amenable to missing a few days due to illness, car problems, or other brief unforeseen circumstances without having an adverse impact on your grade.
