Sarah Jesperson, 21, Edina, Minn.
College: Concordia
Major: Elementary education
Job: 15-20 hours per week
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Time to graduate: 4 years
Why: “Your advisers are really good at trying to get you to graduate in four years.”
“I knew exactly what I wanted to do the second I came to campus.”
Fernando Bales, 22, Monticello, Minn.
College: NDSU
Major: Architecture
Job: 20-25 hours per week
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Time to graduate: 5 years
Why: Architecture program takes five years to complete
“It’s demanding. To keep up, you have to sacrifice a lot of things.”
Cody Salo, 23, New York Mills, Minn.
College: Concordia
Major: Physical education and health education
Time to graduate: 4½ years
Why: Transferred from Bemidji State, where he was an industrial tech major.
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Amber Olds, 22, Moorhead
College: MSUM
Major: English and mass communications
Job: 20-35 hours per week
Time to graduate: 4 years
Why: Credits her adviser with keeping her on track to graduate.
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“I’m sick of school, but I’m afraid of what comes after.”
Ashley Horton, 22, Wadena, Minn.
College: MSUM
Major: Biology
Job: 20-30 hours per week
Time to graduate: 4 years
Why: Switched majors from psychology to English to biology, but she still finished on time because she took one year of college classes in high school and took summer school.
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Thomas Lucht, 25, Jamestown, N.D.
College: MSUM
Major: Geology
Job: 40 hours per week
Time to graduate: 7 years
Why: He changed his major from anthropology to archeology to geology. He also went to school part time when his girlfriend was pregnant with their 2-year-old daughter.
“It took me longer to figure out my major. It took a few different tries to figure out what I was suited for.”
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Casey Kramer, 23, Grand Forks
College: NDSU
Major: Dietetics
Job: 20-40 hours per week
Time to graduate: 5½ years
Why: Transferred to NDSU after attending an Iowa community college and the University of Nebraska for one semester each. He retook several classes because they didn’t transfer. He also changed majors from pre-pharmacy to industrial engineering to exercise science and then dietetics.
Paul Reopelle, 24, Dickinson, N.D.
College: MSUM
Major: History
Job: 30 hours per week
Time to graduate: 6 years
Why: Took one year off for personal reasons, including a death in the family.
Jared Herman, 22, Bismarck
College: NDSU
Major: Marketing
Job: Worked freshman, sophomore years
Time to graduate: 4 years
Why: Transferred to NDSU from Bismarck State College, and all courses transferred. He switched majors from management to marketing, but the two majors have similar requirements.
Megan Haney, 21, Herman, Minn.
College: NDSU
Major: Apparel and textiles/ retail merchandising
Job: 30-40 hours per week
Time to graduate: 3 years
Why: Took dual-credit courses her final two years of high school.
“Take the advantages in high school when you can. Push yourself, and take them in high school if you can.”
Jerry Geraets, 28, Dell Rapids, S.D.
College: NDSU
Major: Philosophy and humanities
Time to graduate: 4 years
Why: He was a freshman at 24 and knew that he wanted to earn a philosophy degree before attending seminary.
"Basically, I didn’t flip-flop majors.”
Michael Lagobey, 37, Sudan
College: MSCTC
Major: Human resources
Job/family: Worked full time at Fargo Assembly until he was laid off. He has a wife, also in college, and two kids, ages 6 years and 18 months.
Time to graduate: 2½ years
Why: He needed some noncredit courses, including English language courses, that added an extra semester.
Scott Schroeder, 28, Fargo
College: MSCTC
Major: Construction electricity
Job: 20 hours per week
Time to graduate: 2 years
Why: Program is structured.
Kayla Christensen, 21, Elbow Lake, Minn.
College: MSCTC
Major: Sales marketing management
Job: 40 hours per week
Time to graduate:1½ years
Why: She finished this degree in three semesters, but earlier attended MSCTC for generals and then left to get a cosmetology degree.
