The broad contours of most students’ D-Plans are similar. According to the Undergraduate Deans Office website, students must spend 12 terms on campus, usually taking three classes per term. This allows them to take three leave terms and finish their degree four years after they matriculate, hopefully a little wiser and ready to go out into the world. Some students, though, have other plans and petition to graduate a term early, during the winter of their senior year. While these students often still walk with their class in June, they apply for their degree in the winter and do not take classes their senior spring.
Some of these students end up graduating early almost by accident. Nathan Shibley ’25, for example, said his decision to graduate early came down to the “marginal cost of a term at Dartmouth.” After sophomore summer, he realized that if he wanted to complete all the requirements for his major and distributives in 11 terms, he could. When faced with this possibility, Shibley decided to take on the challenge.
“You’re never really exposed to an analysis of, ‘Oh man, is it really worth it [cost-wise] for me to be here?,’” Shibley said. “But it’s actually an interesting question. I was able to graduate early pretty easily, and I achieved what I set out to achieve.”
Students must take 35 classes before they graduate, typically meaning 11 three-course terms and one two-course term. After he reached his decision, though, Shibley decided that it wouldn’t be too much work to complete the 35 requisite credits by winter.
“Even if it didn’t work, I thought it would be a good challenge,” Shibley said. “So I started taking four-course terms.”
Similarly, Catherine O’Halloran ’25 ended up on track to graduate early due to her class schedule. While most students spend their sophomore summer on campus — allowing them to take an off term during the fall, winter or spring their sophomore or junior year — O’Halloran chose to power through the full academic year.
“It wasn’t through too much thought [that I chose to graduate early],” O’Halloran said. “I just got on a track of a certain sequence of classes where I felt like it made sense to stay in Hanover [rather than take an off term]. … I just didn’t take off a term during sophomore or junior year, which is what a lot of people do to make up for sophomore summer.”
Ultimately, O’Halloran said she has valued being able to spend so much time in the Upper Valley and plans to remain in Hanover during the spring.
“We only have four years here, and I’ve grown to really appreciate the Upper Valley,” O’Halloran said. “I really got to soak Hanover in, get comfortable here, explore the Upper Valley and get to know the ’26s and ’24s. I’ve become really charmed by Hanover in the past few years, and I think part of that has been because I’ve gotten to spend so much time here.”
Now, O’Halloran is excited to spend even more time in Hanover — next term, unencumbered by academic stress. O’Halloran said she plans to enjoy “this little corner of the world” before she heads into the professional sphere and is excited to “have the time to say yes” to senior spring adventures.
“I already have my options lined up for post grad, so I want to do something that’s not super professional,” O’Halloran said.
Shibley, meanwhile, decided that he wanted to spend more time at home in Richland, Wash., during what would be his final spring term. While he said it’s “nice to be around Dartmouth,” he’s choosing to travel with his mom and fix up a truck with his dad before he moves away to start a full-time job at the end of the summer in Seattle.
“There’s a finite amount of time on the earth that we all have,” he said. “It’s easy to discount the value of that when you’re young. … I had a friend who passed away last year, and when that happens, you think about how finite life is.”
Even though O’Halloran is living in Hanover, she won’t be having the same experience that she did as a student. As an alumna, she won’t be able to use the gym and other campus amenities or have a meal plan, and she will be a “step removed from Hanover,” she said.
“I already cook at home, and I won’t be taking classes, so there won’t be a ton of draws to campus anymore,” she added.
Rather than graduate early, some students choose to spend the spring technically enrolled but refrain from taking classes. For example, André Bouzid ’25 has completed his graduation requirements and will be on a leave term this spring. During this time, he intends to focus on writing his Middle Eastern Studies thesis.
“I thought it was also a good way to be able to focus on one thing,” Bouzid said. “By taking the final term off and just focusing on … finishing up my thesis, that is a good way to manage my time in the spring.”
As a student from the United Kingdom, Bouzid had to jump through some additional hoops to make this D-Plan change. He explained that international students must have three consecutive terms where they are considered “academically active” to remain in compliance with visa regulations. By writing his thesis — which is not a graduation requirement for his major — Bouzid can maintain this status without having to take classes. He explained that the Office of Visa and Immigration Services reports info to the Department of Homeland Security, with the Office deciding what benchmarks those “active” must meet.
Bouzid said he is also grateful to have extra time to reflect on his experience as an undergraduate and think about how he is “going to maintain” his college friendships in the future when they are “not all in Hanover” anymore.
“When I left high school, I drifted a lot from my British friends, because it was harder to maintain [those] relationship[s] when you’re in another country,” Bouzid said. “That’s something I want to reflect [on] and invest in — making sure I spend enough time with my friends.”
Ultimately, Bouzid said taking the spring as a leave term will give him the space to map out what he wants his post-graduate life to look like.
“I suppose your mindset changes when you’re like, ‘Oh, I’m actually a graduate,’” Bouzid said. “Mentally, that’s quite interesting — you have a little bit more time to process the fact that you are going out into the world. [Effectively] graduating early means that you have a little more time to reflect on your journey at Dartmouth, but also what you want to do next.”
Similarly, O’Halloran said one of the best things about graduating early will be having more free time to plan out her future.
“I’m starting work pretty soon after graduation,” O’Halloran said. “So, I am glad that I have this period to just take a break, slow down and think about what I want the next few years of my life to look like.”
Catherine O’Halloran ’25 is a former news writer for The Dartmouth. She was not involved in the writing or editing of this article.
