While most seniors are still working out plans for their future, some of them know already where they are heading to…well, at least 26 of them. These 26 seniors have in fact collected their diploma as they had completed their requirements for graduation half a year earlier. Some of them have already been accepted by graduate schools, or are in the process of preparing for the entrance examination, whereas some of them have found a job, ready to enter the work force. According to the statistics compiled by the Office of Academic Affairs (OAA), this year’s figure has been the highest so far. Department of Banking and Finance (DBF) leads the chart in the number of early graduates this year—five of them in total. Other graduates come from various departments ranging from Civil Engineering (2), Mechanical and Electro-Mechanical Engineering (2), Water resource and Environmental Engineering (4) International Trade (3), Information Management (2) Business Administration (2), Electrical Engineering (1), and Chinese (2).

In order to be eligible for an early graduation, first of all, a student needs to fulfil all the credits required by OAA (compulsory and optional alike). Secondly, s/he needs to have an average of 80% in academic performance as well as character assessment in every semester. Thirdly, her/his Military Training, Nursing, and Physical Education should also reach an average of 70% each semester. Finally, her/his grade should be in the top 5% of her/his year/class. The application for early graduation, be it one year or one semester earlier, should be handed in August or February at the Registration Section.

Entering the graduate school as soon as possible is one of the most common reasons for these early graduates. For example, most of the students from the College of Engineering have been admitted to various prestigious graduate schools in Taiwan and some of them have already started taking courses there. The other reasons for graduating and entering graduate school earlier, as given by Shiao Fang-ming from the DBF, include saving tuition for parents and having more time for a break to contemplate the next move.

Some of the graduates decided very early at the university that it was their goal to finish their study in the shortest possible time due to their amazing energy. Wang You-chi from the Department of Management and Decision Making is one of them who admited that maintaining a good grade at each semester has not been easy. However, working hard for good grades does not mean one has to give up enjoyment, she adds. She somehow has managed to balance both during her study, in which she worked part time in public relations at a KTV and was representing TKU as one of the ambassadors of Good Will. Now she works as a model, on top of three other jobs and is planning to study abroad in three years’ time.