# Of Undergraduate Credits Per Semester

[WestCoastNative]

I had a counselor tell me not to enroll into more than 12 credits a semester when taking a math course. Seems like most users on here are taking at least 16. Do medical schools look at these type of things? I'm currently at a community college if it matters, which sounds even more stupid to take only 12 credits.

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[lysine9740]

I went to community college my freshmen year and took 20 credits a semester. Did most of my basics. Don't listen to that counselor. Do as many credits as you think you can handle. Especially more then 12.

 

[WestCoastNative]

I should mention that the reason she told me that is because I'm planning on taking a 12 credit course. She said that it'll take a lot of studying to get an A. Should I still get more classes?

 

[Pasmal]

I think you'll be fine taking other classes. 16-18 isn't even really that bad, 12 should be a joke, especially if it's only one course (the content should all be loosely related)

If you need more to think about, factor in the following when making your decision:
a) the difficulty of the other classes you'd be adding (yoga vs physical chemistry)
b) your year in school (= maturity level)
c) your desired lifestyle (on the scale of chillaxing to constant grind)
d) your motivation to succeed (how many hours a week are you willing to lock yourself in the library and stare at books and computers to get the As)
e) your track record with a moderate-high workload.

 

[WestCoastNative]

At the moment I'm taking 12 credits and it sucks to say, but I'll finish this semester with at least one B, maybe even two. I attribute this to college being something new and it required a bit of adjusting. I definitely got a better feel of how college works and I'm getting constant A's on all of my assignments as of now. I'll have to take all of the medical prerequisites in community college before I can transfer to a university for my major. My major is a science related one and I'll take upper division courses without any doubt. Would this still x me out from plenty of "top-tier" (top 20) medical schools?

 

[Microglia]

At the moment I'm taking 12 credits and it sucks to say, but I'll finish this semester with at least one B, maybe even two. I attribute this to college being something new and it required a bit of adjusting. I definitely got a better feel of how college works and I'm getting constant A's on all of my assignments as of now.

Don't worry about it, # of credits is literally the last thing any school would ever care about. Take whatever feels right. Med schools want people who know how much they can put on their plate and still excel.

 

[Pasmal]

No it won't x you out.

Getting a 25 MCAT would, but you don't have to worry about that yet either. Just keep doing what you're doing and stay on course to graduate, and you'll be fine.

 

[WestCoastNative]

Awesome, thanks for all the help. It's refreshing to see SDN members who are still here to give advice and information.

 

[bambam92]

lol yeah err take the CC advisors advice with a grain of salt. 12 credits is nothing. In fact in the future I would advise taking more credits. If one has to "grind" to excel with a 12 credit load I feel sorry for that person if they ever make it to med school.

 

[BlueLabel]

I had a counselor tell me not to enroll into more than 12 credits a semester when taking a math course. Seems like most users on here are taking at least 16. Do medical schools look at these type of things? I'm currently at a community college if it matters, which sounds even more stupid to take only 12 credits.

I didn't go to a CC but I averaged about 13.5 credits per semester and it hasn't held me back this cycle. I personally think the order of importance is:

# of hours < quality of coursework <<<< grades

Honestly by far the most important factor is your GPR, so focus on keeping your grades up.

 

[CyberMaxx]

OP, I consistently took on more coursework than I needed to in college (generally 17-18 credits per semester with the majority of those credits being science or math) and I would not recommend it. 15 credits per semester was considered normal at my institution and I think that's what you should shoot for.

 

[Pasmal]

OP, I consistently took on more coursework than I needed to in college (generally 17-18 credits per semester with the majority of those credits being science or math) and I would not recommend it. 15 credits per semester was considered normal at my institution and I think that's what you should shoot for.

The bottom line is that it varies from person to person. I took 33/year (16.5/semester) with ease but I know people who did more/less because that's what worked for them.

 

[PreMedOrDead]

Would this still x me out from plenty of "top-tier" (top 20) medical schools?

Get an A average and take the MCAT before you start considering such things... you shouldn't even be thinking about that stuff yet. Just getting into an MD school is quite the achievement these days.

12 credits at a CC is also pretty slow, unless you are very busy outside of class.