How many classes per semester?

[LandSpeed]

So I've got a question for you guys, and it's about how many courses you feel comfortable taking all at once. The reason I ask is because I'm trying to plan my schedule next semester and I don't want to overload myself. If you don't mind -- and since I know some of you have been through all this before -- can you possibly give some advice for my schedule lineup? Check it out:

Spring 08:
Chem 1A, Precalculus, English 1B (12 units)
Summer 08:
Calculus I (4 units)
Fall 08:
Chem 1B, Calculus II, Intro to Physics (12 units)
Spring 09:
Physics 1, Calculus III, English 1C (12 units)

How's that look? Is my brain going to melt? I've taken 2 sciences with labs before (anatomy/physio and microbiology) in one semester and done well. Thanks for the advice! 👍

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[cheezer]

don't seem bad at all

 

[AKN]

3 classes/12 hours at a time looks easy to me. I'm doing that with a job (32 hours per week) and a family.

 

[emttim]

Only thing I see a potential problem with is taking calculus during the summer, but if you're halfway decent at math, probably won't be an issue since that's your only class.

 

[HumidBeing]

No that shouldn't fry your brain. It appears to be a minimal load to maintain full-time status.

The only problem I can think of with that schedule is that if you are an undergrad, whether or not you will be able to accumulate enough credits to be graduated in four years. Twenty-four credits/year won't usually pull you through quickly enough; however, since you say that you've already taken two sciences/semester, you may already either have accumulated sufficient credits to do that, or you may be doing a post-bacc. In those cases, you should be fine.

 

[Dendrite]

That shouldn't be a problem. I agree with HumidBeing about accumulating enough credits for graduation, but if you have APs/IB's and are just getting used to creating a comfortable work regimen, what you have looks fine.

I took Calc II in the summer (in six-7 weeks), and I did okay (A), so it is possible, if you spend about 2-3 hours a day studying/doing practice problems.

At least two sciences and a humanities + exit courses, I believe, is the norm for premed students.

 

[jochi1543]

Your brain is gonna melt from 12 credits? I feel bad for you, kid.

I took 16-18 throughout undergrad, I only took 12 one semester when I was sick (but I worked like 30 hours a week). Right now, I'm taking 15 credits, which is 5 courses. I don't have a job now, but that's because I have to maintain a 3.7 (ideally, I'm hoping for 3.85) for some Canadian schools with strict cutoffs, while making sure that 80% of my courses are at 300-level or above, so I decided that work wasn't worth risking my grades.

 

[ChubbyChaser]

Not bad, you might want to add more than 12 credits though.

 

[sully677]

That is pretty light. I would throw in a GE or a PE to up the hours.

 

[pakbabydoll]

Spring 08
Pre- calc 4 units
Bio 2 (lab) 4 units
Chem 1 (lab) 4 units
English-2 3 units
Humanities-1 3 units
18 credits

Summer (A)
Chem 2 (lab) 4 units
4 credits

Summer (B)
Statistics 3 units
3 credits

Fall 08
Calc 4 units
microbiology (lab) 4 units (maybe)
English-3 3 units
humanities-2 3 units
14 credits
Junior and senior year not sure yet.

 

[whoisthedrizzle]

Not be a dick, but in med school you'll be taking the equivalent of 35 hours a semester worth of material. If you can't handle two science classes a semester, you might not belong in the field. I'm taking 7 science classes (300 level) this semester and doing very well. Its stressful at times, but I still have time most weekends to get drunk, party, etc. IMHO 2 science classes is nothing

 

[ChubbyChaser]

So is that around 25 hours??? cause thats ridiculous, we wouldnt even be allowed to take that many. I applaud you.

 

[whoisthedrizzle]

So is that around 25 hours??? cause thats ridiculous, we wouldnt even be allowed to take that many. I applaud you.

Its 3 credit hours per class (2 for Eng. Design, 4 for Biochem, everything else 3) so its 21 hours. Max is 19 so I had to get the dean's permission. BTW, I'm including Eng. classes as science.

I'm not a gunner, I just need to get my GPA up before I graduate

 

[ChubbyChaser]

O ok, thats not tooo ridiculous then, I figured all 7 of thsoe had a lab with them, that would be next to impossible.

 

[Spin]

If it's your first year in college, 12 credits is ok for the first semester because it will let you get a feel for how hard the workload is, and it'll give you a chance to adjust to living on your own. You don't want to start college by stressing yourself out and hurting your GPA. Once you have a better idea of how much work you can take in terms of credit hours, you can decide how many more you want to take. In general, you want to try to take at least 15 credits per semester. If I were you, I'd sign up for an additional course that's useful but pretty easy. For example, at my college Statistics is ridiculously easy and it counts as part of your science GPA, and it's a good life skill to have if you like research.

Are you working, or do you have some other extenuating circumstance? That might change things, but if you're a normal college student, plan on taking an average of 15 credit hours/semester.

EDIT: I just reread the first post, and it looks like you've already got experience in college... so yeah, I'd just add an easy but useful class to that list, unless you think it would hurt your GPA.

 

[Bacchus]

My experience (this semester):

Achem with lab
Biochem with lab
Pchem
Microbio with lab

17 credits.

Horrible, I'm looking at a probably 0.2 to 0.25 drop from last year's year-long GPA. I know its going to look bad, but that's what my curriculum is. Don't over exert yourself.

 

[Drogba]

I don't understand the credits system. Is it used mostly for public schools? Is it based literally on how many hours of lecture/lab you have? We only have 1 cu per class with an extra 0.5 cu if it has a lab.

 

[HumidBeing]

I don't understand the credits system. Is it used mostly for public schools? Is it based literally on how many hours of lecture/lab you have? We only have 1 cu per class with an extra 0.5 cu if it has a lab.

Here, in the states, most semester credits are based on 1 hr. of credit for each hr. per week spent in lecture. Thus, a 3 credit class meets for approximately 3 hrs./wk.. Labs however, generally run for 3 hrs., but only count for 1 hr. of credit. I guess that's because it's assumed that one needs to do less studying outside of class for the labs. So, Bio I, for instance, would usually be 3 hrs/wk of lecture and 3hrs/wk of lab; thus, a 4 credit class if they are taken together, OR a 3 credit lecture class AND 1 credit separate lab.

A few schools still run on quarter systems. Quarter systems are different. Also, a few people on here attend Canadian schools. The hours there may be determined in another manner, just as their grading system is done by a different point value. I am not familiar with their system.

 

[Drogba]

Here, in the states, most semester credits are based on 1 hr. of credit for each hr. per week spent in lecture. Thus, a 3 credit class meets for approximately 3 hrs./wk.. Labs however, generally run for 3 hrs., but only count for 1 hr. of credit. I guess that's because it's assumed that one needs to do less studying outside of class for the labs. So, Bio I, for instance, would usually be 3 hrs/wk of lecture and 3hrs/wk of lab; thus, a 4 credit class if they are taken together, OR a 3 credit lecture class AND 1 credit separate lab.

A few schools still run on quarter systems. Quarter systems are different. Also, a few people on here attend Canadian schools. The hours there may be determined in another manner, just as their grading system is done by a different point value. I am not familiar with their system.

I go to school in the US 🙂 Thanks for the explanation though, thats basically what I thought it was. Are recitations included in the credit measurement? Also, do many private schools use credit hours as their descriptive system? Both of the schools I've attended did not. Whenever I hear about credit hours its from someone attending a state school.

 

[Drogba]

My experience (this semester):

Achem with lab
Biochem with lab
Pchem
Microbio with lab

17 credits.

Horrible, I'm looking at a probably 0.2 to 0.25 drop from last year's year-long GPA. I know its going to look bad, but that's what my curriculum is. Don't over exert yourself.

Why would you do this to yourself? Don't you like to have any classes that break the monotony of hard science?

 

[HumidBeing]

I don't know about the private school thing. One of my sisters attended a private school; they also did credit hrs. Classes are billed according to credit hours and GPA is determined by credit hrs & "quality points", in other words, the grade. Recitation, I believe, is treated very much like lab. Ochem w/recitation and lab thrown into the calculation often comes out to 5 credits, though some schools count it as 4. There doesn't appear to be a single standard way of doing these things, though the credit hour system seems to be, by far, the most common. It certainly makes things easier when it comes to doing AMCAS GPA calculations. That seems to be designed to fit the credit hour system.

 

[Bacchus]

Why would you do this to yourself? Don't you like to have any classes that break the monotony of hard science?

Its the layout of the curriculum. I know, its horrible. I probably should have tried to shuffle things around. To answer your other question... I go to a private university and we have credit hours, as do a lot of private universities. Recitation does not count into the credit calculation. Some professors use recitation to teach, others use it to let you ask questions, and others tell you not to show up but go to the office hour during that time.

 

[Drogba]

Its the layout of the curriculum. I know, its horrible. I probably should have tried to shuffle things around. To answer your other question... I go to a private university and we have credit hours, as do a lot of private universities. Recitation does not count into the credit calculation. Some professors use recitation to teach, others use it to let you ask questions, and others tell you not to show up but go to the office hour during that time.

I see... thanks. Do you go to that crazy science school in philly that i just found out about the other day? I can't remember its name...

 

[neuro1617]

So I've got a question for you guys, and it's about how many courses you feel comfortable taking all at once. The reason I ask is because I'm trying to plan my schedule next semester and I don't want to overload myself. If you don't mind -- and since I know some of you have been through all this before -- can you possibly give some advice for my schedule lineup? Check it out:

Spring 08:
Chem 1A, Precalculus, English 1B (12 units)
Summer 08:
Calculus I (4 units)
Fall 08:
Chem 1B, Calculus II, Intro to Physics (12 units)
Spring 09:
Physics 1, Calculus III, English 1C (12 units)

How's that look? Is my brain going to melt? I've taken 2 sciences with labs before (anatomy/physio and microbiology) in one semester and done well. Thanks for the advice! 👍

Not a bad schedule at all. I've always had a few sciences & >12 credits + EC's. And calc in the summer should be jsut fine. i had precalc online & i survived.

 

[Just Joshin]

Not be a dick, but in med school you'll be taking the equivalent of 35 hours a semester worth of material. If you can't handle two science classes a semester, you might not belong in the field. I'm taking 7 science classes (300 level) this semester and doing very well. Its stressful at times, but I still have time most weekends to get drunk, party, etc. IMHO 2 science classes is nothing

I call BS on this. No way is someone taking 7 science classes at once, unless you're (a) counting labs as separate classes or (b) not taking a single lab and counting Bioethics or something as a science rather than a philosophy.

 

[Just Joshin]

I go to school in the US 🙂 Thanks for the explanation though, thats basically what I thought it was. Are recitations included in the credit measurement? Also, do many private schools use credit hours as their descriptive system? Both of the schools I've attended did not. Whenever I hear about credit hours its from someone attending a state school.

Actually, I think your school is the anomaly. I haven't heard of a school not using the credit hour system unless they're on the quarter system.

 

[Drogba]

Actually, I think your school is the anomaly. I haven't heard of a school not using the credit hour system unless they're on the quarter system.

Thats weird, maybe its a regional thing? Both of the school are in the northeast. Do any of the Ivy's use credit hours? I just looked and Rice uses credit hours. I wonder what the rationale is for each system? I guess schools with credit units have more standardized schedules and ones with credit hours are more all over the place.

 

[Just Joshin]

Thats weird, maybe its a regional thing? Both of the school are in the northeast. Do any of the Ivy's use credit hours? I just looked and Rice uses credit hours. I wonder what the rationale is for each system? I guess schools with credit units have more standardized schedules and ones with credit hours are more all over the place.

I started college in Connecticut and we were on the credit-hour system there. I know many schools in New England and they all use credit hours. As for Ivies, Harvard uses credit hours. I don't know about the others.

 

[bwonger06]

I too hate lab crediting. A four hour Ochem lab only worth one credit and it is probably the class i do the most work in.

My freshmen year schedule was pretty simple: Chem I, Calc I, Eng I and Psychology 101. 14 credits nothing too hard. Second semester i bumped it up to 16 credits: Western Civ, Eng 102, CHM II, Social Psych, and Calc II. Sophomore first semester i bumped it up two 17: Accounting, Ochem + Lab, Bio + Lab, Microeconomics and an Honors seminar class. Worst idea ever because i literally have 4 weed out classes and the labs add on an additional 5 hours to the 17 so it feels more like 22 credits.

 

[osli]

I call BS on this. No way is someone taking 7 science classes at once, unless you're (a) counting labs as separate classes or (b) not taking a single lab and counting Bioethics or something as a science rather than a philosophy.

I've taken 6 3hr science courses with 3 1hr labs, and 5 3hr science courses with 4 1hr labs. Anything above 18 hr/semester required dean's permission, but that was never a problem if your GPA is good. I don't see where 21 hours with no labs or just one lab is impossible.

Engineering courses are damned hard, but not all require a ton of outside study time to memorize lists of (mostly useless) factoids.

 

[Drogba]

I started college in Connecticut and we were on the credit-hour system there. I know many schools in New England and they all use credit hours. As for Ivies, Harvard uses credit hours. I don't know about the others.

Harvard uses credit units as does Penn, Columbia and Princeton. I'm not sure about the rest.

 

[Bacchus]

I see... thanks. Do you go to that crazy science school in philly that i just found out about the other day? I can't remember its name...

HAHAHAHAHA 😆 What have you heard??

 

[Drogba]

HAHAHAHAHA 😆 What have you heard??

Not a whole lot just that there was this school in West Philly that I knew nothing about that seemed to be very focused on science. You seem to fit that profile ;]

 

[Rotinaj]

OPs schedule looks very light actually, you should be fine. I'm averaging about 16.5 hours a semester with 9 hour summers and it's not killing me. It just makes me have to be responsible and suck it up when assignments collide.

 

[Bacchus]

Not a whole lot just that there was this school in West Philly that I knew nothing about that seemed to be very focused on science. You seem to fit that profile ;]

Perhaps, you'll see us around the city with a new marketing campaign. Signs on the back of the SEPTA buses are black background with two words combined (they flow into each other).

 

[Pose]

I usually take 12-14. I work 32ish hours per week.

It's never too hard, and I've kept a 4.0 (well, 3.974 now) for 2.5 years. I've only taken 1 science course per semester, however. Starting next year I'll be taking two (physics & chem) per semester.

Edit: my school does 3 credits per non-science class, 4 per science class, and 0 credits for lab.

 

[blondie08]

hmmm... this is a weird thread for me. med schools look at your course load, i don't think 12 credits a semester is going to cut it (as some of the posts above indicate). I know a girl (who is kind of crazy) who takes over 20 credits a semester (in biomedical engineering) and full course load over the summer, while volunteering and doing research, and has managed a 4.0 every semester for over 3 years now. I personally can't even hope to be as awesome as that, but i do pull pretty good grades with 18 credits, a job of 30+ hours a week and volunteering

 

[Darktide]

It's funny to see all the gunners measuring their e-peens

to the OP~~ Your sched. looks fine bud~~ Don't let all these people boasting of 20+ credits make you feel inadequate--- School is their life... just go to the bar, make things interesting for yourself.

I have taken 12-13 cr hours during the year for nearly 3 years now, but I also hold 1-2 FULL TIME jobs (60-80hrs/week)--- E-peen that one... 😱

 

[Drogba]

This thread is much more the premed equivalent of "how much do you bench" than the how many hours do you sleep thread.