College Years
In regard to your front-page article (Dec. 19) concerning the vanishing four-year degrees, I believe that schools today fail to give students reasons for graduating faster.
As an undergraduate student at UCLA, I have, through advanced placement tests and summer school, given myself the opportunity to receive my baccalaureate degree in three years. As a result, I have found it harder to receive scholarships and recognition for my hard-earned achievements. Because I am on full financial aid, I have saved the government more than $2,000 and made California’s overwhelmed school facilities available sooner. (But) by graduating faster, I have put myself at a major disadvantage because I can’t get letters of recommendation, I have less time to do extracurricular activities and I have a much heavier course load.
If California wants to avoid building more campuses, why don’t they give students like me incentives, such as special scholarship and financial treatment, to finish their undergraduate education quickly.
DAVID POLLAK
North Hollywood
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