Fleeting Time: Some HutchCC Students Intending to Move on After Fall Semester

By Cassidy Peterson
Staff writer
Email: thehutchinsoncollegian@gmail.com

As the fall semester nears a close, some students begin to look at closing their chapter at HutchCC.

Whether students are planning to start a career, apply for a program, or transfer to another college in the spring, graduation applications are now open.

Kat Eberly, HutchCC Degree Audit Specialist, says as of right now, she has 160 students applying to graduate or earn credentials this semester. She had about the same number of applicants last year at this time, with 145 more students applying on or after Nov. 13

 Based on the last five years, the average number of students that graduate in the fall semester is 264 and 279 credentials (certificates and degrees) are earned, as well. Although these numbers may seem low, Eberly said that students at HutchCC are completing courses here for many reasons, with some not planning on earning an associate degree. With a considerable amount of students just taking a few classes so they can transfer to a four-year university, high school students completing classes, and others are just taking a course for fun. HutchCC offers many opportunities for those in the surrounding area that do not necessarily include graduating with a degree.

At the moment there are 62 students earning transfer degrees and 97 earning technical certificates at the end of this semester. Last year 128 students earned transfer degrees and 188 earned technical certificates. The degree that the largest number of students are graduating with at the end of this semester is an associates of arts and an associates of science is a close second. On the technical certification side it is the Registered Nurse Online Bridge Program, which is an LPN to RN or Paramedic to RN program.

As for some students that are leaving after this semester, Fairfield sophomore Taylor Mathes says, after three semesters at HutchCC he has completed all the courses that he can and is ready to move on with an associates of science. Mathes is studying as a pre-medical major and planning on taking next semester off to figure out where to go next.

Mariah Piña, Haven sophomore, is going to be graduating with an Associate’s of Science in General Studies after three semesters on campus. She plans to transfer to Wichita State in the spring and earn a bachelor’s degree in social work, after which she will get a master’s degree so that she can be a school counselor.

Hesston sophomore Josh Shirley will be transferring to Kansas State University this spring. Shirley has spent two semesters at HutchCC and has completed all of the courses available for him, he is studying chemical engineering.

After speaking with a few students and Eberly, it is clear that many students will not be back to HutchCC in the spring and others are beginning to plan ahead for the end of the spring semester.

Eberly encourages students to speak with their advisor if they are planning on graduating to get their graduation application form and to verify they have all of the credits needed to graduate. She also warns that students planning on graduating in the spring need to be ready to fill out forms as the deadline for graduation applications is in March for the spring semester. Eberly also recommends looking at Dragon Zone under the academics tab at your degree audit, so you can see how close you are to earning your degree and what courses you still need. If the audit seems off, she suggests speaking with your advisor, to double check everything is all right and you are on track. If you are graduating in the fall, spring, or summer semester you can still take part in the May graduation ceremony to celebrate.

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