Skip a year of college, save nearly 20%

This week, Money College presents two views of graduating college early by experts--that is, students who took the three-year path through school. Click on the link to read Money College blogger Emily Leithauser's companion piece on getting a 4-year-degree in 3 years.

Like baked beans for breakfast and bog snorkeling, three-year degrees may represent the norm in the U.K., but seem utterly foreign to U.S. students. Either weathering the economic storm or simply escaping reality, 38.5% of U.S. undergraduates take more than four years to graduate, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

Despite late nights and weekends spent studying (I've closed down the library more times than I'd like to admit), I'm proud to count myself among the 4.2% of U.S. students graduating in three years rather than four. While I'm occasionally convinced that my time would have been better spent studying abroad, I'm looking forward to enjoying a year's worth of extra income and reduced tuition spending.