courseload

[sunnex3]

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i know a similar thread has been posted already, but i don't know if anyone is familiar with the Penn system of credits? Here we do 1 class = 1 credit and not your standard 1 class = 3 or 4 credits that other schools do. So I'm not quite sure how I compare in terms of courseload to other students at other schools.

I've taken 4.5 classes the past 4 semesters (4 lectures + 1 lab) and am planning the rest of my semesters at school.

next semester i'm taking 4 classes: orgo, vertberate phys, anthropology, and photography. it's the first time i'm taking only 4 classes. i'm worried this will look like too light of a coarseload. then next semester (spring '10) i'll be taking 4 again, but this time 3 science (orgo, cell bio, independent study) and photography.

Dean Keiter at Penn Vet has told me that he thinks of 1 Penn class = 4 credits, so I would be taking 16 credits. Does this seem about right?

I'm not sure if I want to be adding another class though, as in addition to classes, I'm on the board for 2 student organizations and have 2 work study jobs, + volunteering. But I don't want to come off as someone who can't handle a heavy workload 👎

 

[ZooNose]

It will not come off that way at all, don't worry. Orgo will be your full time job, anyways...

 

[sunnex3]

It will not come off that way at all, don't worry. Orgo will be your full time job, anyways...

yeah i figured Orgo would be my full time job....sounds marvelous 🙄

 

[stick91]

That is pretty much how my undergrad worked. Though we didn't get separate credit for lab. Which always made me a little sad when I was taking ochem and physics which both had labs and I only got 1 credit for each of them. That said, I usually had 4-5 classes a semester. Aside from when I was studying abroad at least half of them were science courses and at least one of those had labs. On the back of your transcript it will probably say the whole 1 credit at Penn = 4 credits at most other places. I wouldn't worry about it, it worked out for me okay : )

 

[aspiringDVM]

My school does the one class equals one credit thing as well! No idea how your system works, but here the number of "hours" per class is indicated by the last number of the course prefix, ie Bio 3016 = 6 hours.
The people at Auburn also told me they generally consider 1 credit equal to 4 hours, so perhaps that's a pretty standard conversion.

 

[VAgirl]

My undergrad did one class = one credit, with labs included (so zero credits for lab, essentially). I think I basically took only 4 classes every semester (except semesters where I took a half credit PE or something). Seemed about normal.