Having an incentive for those ambitious students who take more than 13 credits is great initiative to push students to graduate earlier. It is, however, wrong to have a flat charge of 13 credits since students taking fewer than 13 credits are forced to pay for all 13 credits. Forcing students to adhere to the 13-credit policy limits the lifestyle of students, making school the focus of their life, when this is not the reality for all students. In an era when a college education is this expensive, not everyone can focus on school alone.

Students can request to reduce credits without paying for 13 credits if they have extenuating circumstances, but few students are aware of this and apply. Unfortunately, students who do not have what is considered “extreme circumstances” are forced to bear the burden of 13 credits.

What makes this procedure a nuisance is that it applies to students who study abroad. Education is not always done within a classroom setting, and to be stuck in a classroom all day can take away from a student’s experience abroad – this fact the 13-credit policy fails to recognize.

Advisers constantly reiterate that a student must devote three hours of study outside of class per credit, and for a person taking 13 credits, the amount of studying time plus class time is more than 40 hours a week. It is hard to imagine how difficult this could get with a 20-hour work schedule, which in itself is not enough to allow students to be approved for the waiver.

Moreover, while taking 13 credits is considered full time, taking six is considered half. This raises the question, why not have 12 credits be full time, since mathematically, this would make more sense, and 12 credits would be cheaper for students?

The reality is that students lead different lives; students are parents, full-time workers and so on. To charge students for 13 credits when they do not take 13 credits is simply a crime for those who may already be inhibited by their financial situation. This policy is an indication that this institution continues to evolve into one that is obsessed with ratings and numbers and, at times, forgets its students.