By Mary Schrott, News Editor
As the red triangle on a Miami student's Degree Audit Report pie chart shrinks, indicating fewer needed credits and an approaching graduation, student scheduling becomes increasingly strategic.
For students entering senior year who need less than 24 credits -- or two full-time 12 credit semesters -- to graduate, going part-time is an option.
According to the Office of Institutional Research, just two percent of Oxford's 15,975 degree-seeking undergraduates are part-time. However, of the 308 part-time students in Oxford, 55 percent are seniors.
Various factors, such as tuition, amenities and scholarship, can be affected by a student's decision to attend Miami part-time.
Brent Shock, assistant vice president of student financial aid and bursar offices, said that several years ago, part-time students were denied access to Miami services like the Rec and health services. Now, students only need to be enrolled in one hour of credit for access.
Students must, however, be full-time to live on campus unless a special exception is made by the Office of Housing Options, Meals and Events (H.O.M.E.). Students must also be full-time to receive scholarships. However, Shock said that, like the H.O.M.E. office, Student Financial Services can make exceptions.
"When students are about to graduate and they need fewer than 12 credits, if they tell our office we will bend the rules and generally try to prolate their scholarship," Shock said.
Shock said that there are a handful of donor scholarships that require students to be full-time and cannot be manipulated. It's not common, however, for students to come to Shock asking to keep their scholarship and go part-time.
Students say there are pros and cons to having a part-time schedule.
Senior Margeaux Clayton-Stamm, who is graduating in May with a degree in strategic communications and minors in leadership and management and women's, gender and sexuality studies, is currently a part-time student taking nine credit hours.
Her spring schedule allows for a four-day weekend. Having more free time outside of class, she said, is good and bad in different ways.
"On days [when I don't have class], I have nothing to do -- it's great," Clayton-Stamm said. "I'm using a lot of time to do homework and find a job, too."
Clayton-Stamm said she is doing quite well in the three classes she is enrolled in, because of all the time she is able to dedicate to homework and studying. Yet, sometimes she feels the free time is too much.
"A four-day weekend is nice, but at the same time I feel like I'm being so lazy on Sundays because I think, 'Well, my actual Sunday doesn't start until tomorrow,'" Clayton-Stamm said.
Junior Lindsey Schad, who is majoring in botany and minoring in entrepreneurship and global health, only needs four credits to finish her degrees. However, the one-credit global health class she needs will be offered in the fall of 2016 and the three-credit grant writing class she needs will be offered in spring 2017.
Despite being pigeonholed into staying both semesters senior year, Schad is the recipient of multiple scholarships that make taking non-major courses virtually costless.
"There are classes I've wanted to take but I haven't had room to in earlier years," Schad said, who is enrolled in rock climbing, Tai Chi, French, creative writing and a global health seminar for the fall.
Schad believes taking these classes will not only be fun, but will add depth to her perspectives on her major and minors.
"As someone who wants to be an entrepreneur, you can never stop learning," Schad said. "Every single experience and subject can provide you with an idea or inspiration for something later on."
For Clayton-Stamm, taking classes she doesn't need in order to earn her degree seems pointless.
"If I don't need [a class], I don't see a point in taking it," Clayton-Stamm said. "Being a part-time student is cheaper. There's no point in having my parents pay full tuition if I don't have to take a class."
Part-time students are only required to pay per credit hour. For the 2015-2016 school year, that cost is $563.88 for in-state students and $1,259.70 for those who live out-of-state.
Several fees ranging from $100 to $200 may be assessed if a student lives on campus or is taking business school courses.
For full-time in-state students, tuition for the 2015-16 school year is $13,533. For out-of-state residents, the cost comes to $30,233. Both in-state and out-of-state students are also responsible for $700 in additional fees.
Ultimately, the decision to go part-time is a personal one.
The decision to go part-time, therefore, depends on different factors in a student's life.
"I love having a lot of free time and am enjoying my last semester here," Clayton-Stamm said. "It's great to have more time to be with my friends."
Shock said that, above all else, the university is interested in seeing students graduate on time.
"We want students to leave in the normal time frame so they are free to start earning a wage," Shock said. "It's important students do the right thing for themselves."