Medical Is it okay to take 3 classes instead of 4?

[GoSpursGo]

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Hi.
I am a second-year pre-med student. I have been feeling overwhelmed these past weeks and I am wondering if I could take 3 classes this semester instead of 4 (and take a non-pre med course in the summer). Does this look bad on med school apps?

No one is going to look into your application that closely to notice how many credit hours you took in any given semester. If your current course load will cause your GPA to suffer then take whatever measure is necessary to remedy that. Better to take a step back now, assess what is wrong with your current strategy, and come back next semester with a plan than barrel forward and make a mistake.

Just keep in mind that eventually you will need to take a full course load in order to graduate on time, and things get harder in med school. So if you do this, make sure it is with the intent of figuring out a strategy that will work going forward.

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

There is a fine balance here. You need to make sure you graduate on time, but you really don’t want to do poorly in classes (especially your science courses). Maybe take the three this semester and use that time to kinda hone in your study skills to find what works for you so you can add that fourth class on the next semester.

 

[AlteredScale]

Yes that's fine. Take care of your mental health. It's a marathon not a sprint to get into medical school.