is it bad to take take less than 5 courses a semester?

[sdubz]

Does this depend on the school? i know that a full course load (at least 3 courses per semester) is required, but does it "look bad" if i dont take 4 or 5 courses?

also, does anyone know how withdraws are REALLY taken into account? ive tried to search for this but everything just seems speculative...what is your personal max number of W's that u would allow?

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[umc27]

There is really no clear cut answer to this question. Though some schools may prefer someone that takes a larger courseload, I personally feel it is better to take whatever number or credit hours that will allow you do best in all of your classes (and hence maximize your GPA). I think we can all agree that a taking 14 hours and getting a 4.0 is better than taking 17 hours (and not have enough time to study and do well in each class) and getting a 3.3

As far as Ws are concerned, ideally the adcoms would prefer you have none. But one or two, with an otherwise good GPA and good DAT score shouldnt be too much of a problem.

 

[Nendo21]

Does this depend on the school? i know that a full course load (at least 3 courses per semester) is required, but does it "look bad" if i dont take 4 or 5 courses?

also, does anyone know how withdraws are REALLY taken into account? ive tried to search for this but everything just seems speculative...what is your personal max number of W's that u would allow?

i think it depends on the kind of classes you are taking, if u are taking 4 science classes that is fine if u are taking one intro science class and 4 electives then that cannot be good.

 

[sidewalkman]

There's no clear-cut answer to that question. It depends on what you're doing with the free time you'd get from only taking 3 classes, and the rigor of those 'electives'

 

[bpenly]

I had only 12 credits last semester (Physics, Physiology, Microbiology, Immunology, Micro lab, and physics lab), but my interviewer at Baylor said "Wow, it looks like you have a difficult semester." I think it depends on what classes you are taking versus just sheer # of hours.

 

[vertical bite]

I had only 12 credits last semester (Physics, Physiology, Microbiology, Immunology, Micro lab, and physics lab), but my interviewer at Baylor said "Wow, it looks like you have a difficult semester." I think it depends on what classes you are taking versus just sheer # of hours.

I know a guy that had a BS and then went back and took one class a semester until he had all his pre-reqs. He got into dental school the first attempt.

So I dont think it means ****t.

 

[wimmcs]

I also agree with the previous post regarding taking 4 or 5 courses in the sciences, then it's a tough semester; that's what I did.