Credits every Semester & Summer time

[biomed1010]

Hey Guys,

I am a student who has been taking low credit hours per semester(12,14,8,and 14). However, my GPA is very good = 3.95.
Note: The 8 credit hours was in the summer

I was wondering if I will be in trouble when it comes to applying. Will they think they that my GPA is only high because I have taken low credit semesters?

What is usually a safe # of credits to take per semester, to be considered serious when you apply?

Also - Dont people usually take less than 10 credits in the summer semester, because it is a shorter semester and compressed? Or is it usual for a pre-med to do 15 credits in the summer?

Thanks for your time, and happy hollidays!!

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[iTool]

it's not a sprint; it's a marathon. do what you need to do to get the stats you want (and remain healthy and sane) and don't look back.
i know a couple of friends who have not taken more than 14 credits during semesters.. one is at hopkins med, another is at duke med on a full ride, etc. etc. both had sick gpas and very good, but not stellar, mcat scores (low thirties).
their low credit loads didn't stop them from the looks of it.

 

[Decicco]

low credit hours don't hurt you, as long as you have acceptable GPAs and MCAT scores. I never took more than 14 either.

 

[justdoit31]

You should be fine but I would encourage you to attempt to make it through in the 4 year period (if you are traditional)...

I also took classes 2 summers- 1 was 9 hours the other only 3 (both study abroads)

It allowed me to take less over each semester... here is my advice- If you need one big semester (15-19 hours) to make it through in 4 years do it and sign up for classes you need which are considered "easier" in your department. I did a big semester but took more gen eds to pad it. I found in some of my general classes I studied less than 4 hours a week and still made easy A's/

 

[ApoK]

Seems like a ridiculous waste of money to me. Just man up and take 17-19 credits per semester and save the money from an unnecessary summer term. You should be aware that in med school, you'll have the equivalent of 22-24 credits per semester. If you can only handle 12-14 credits now, how can you possibly cope with the rigors of medical school??? Adcoms, however, will consider the difficulty of your coursework in a holistic manner, so low credit semesters at all times may be a red flag to some adcoms.

 

[sully677]

As long as you are doing something productive with your spare time since you are not taking many classes, it should not be a problem. Fill that extra time in with something worthwhile.