Too Many Hours During Freshman Year??

[Mwz1024]

I just got out of orientation today from my university and I have a total of 18 credit hours.

Chem-4 hrs with Lab
Bio-4hrs with Lab
Calc-4 hrs
English-3 hrs
Psyc-3hrs

I have been thinking really hard about this but is this too much for my freshman year. My advisor says that this is a "typical" freshman schedule. I was thinking of dropping Psyc and that will drop me to 15 hrs. So what should I do? Any feedback is appreciated.

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[CANES2006]

What's your major? If I were you I'd drop one of the sciences (Calc, chem, or bio). If you are a bio major, drop chem or calc. If you are a chem major, drop bio or chem. If you are neither, drop any of the three. I think too many sciences with labs will burn you. Many times labs are extremely time consuming. Good luck with your college career.

 

[pbehzad]

you may be a little stressed for a first semester freshman? i think it also depends on where you are going to school? i think the chem, bio, calc is normal. i did that the my first semester freshman year and did well. now english or psych i would maybe drop one of them just cause you want to get a good gpa. if you can handle it, i would go ahead and do it. but dont get to stressed out over classes just yet. remember you are only a freshman! i think if you took alot of ap classes, you will be well prepared for a demand of 18 credits.
hope that helps.

 

[CANES2006]

I forgot to add. I would also consider taking a science course or two over the summer. It can really lessen the load over the semester and make acing courses easier. I did this after my freshman year (I took the required two physics classes with lab), and I am so happy I did. I was then able to concentrate on my bio and chem classes during the semester (I was a bio major and chem minor).

 

[pbehzad]

i am opposite of what canes2006 is saying. i think you have to double up sciences, and biology and chem are the easiest ones or generally they are the best bet to go. what i have heard is that taking a science over the summer shows that you can handle the load and that you fear doubling up sciences. now that doesnt mean you wont get into med schools, but it is frowned upon. i would maybe just not take psych. where do you go to school if you dont mind me asking?

 

[CANES2006]

I'm not saying to not double up on the sciences (that's exactly what I did). I'm just saying to not triple your sciences (I consider Calc a science...my honors course was pretty tough in college).

 

[FunkDoc]

i say drop at one class to bring you down to 15. you need to make sure you do well in those pre-med classes, so you dont want to overload yourself so quickly.

drop psych.

 

[LoneSEAL]

seems like overload.

 

[Ibrahim05]

drop bio...take it after organic chem. whatever you do drop a class

 

[nero]

its better to drop then to have a first semester gpa of 3.0. i did the same schedule as you, but i took AP courses for bio, chem and calc and got 5's on the exam, so it wasn't as bad.........if you didnt' take AP, drop calc, that can wait maybe until summer.

just a thought..good luck

nero

 

[devo213]

I just did my freshman orientation a week or so ago as well. After seeing what everyone else is saying, I'm a tad bit worried. I'm taking differential equations, bio + lab, chem + lab, an into engineering mechanics class, and an international relations course. Fun fun!

 

[pbehzad]

devo213, man you are taking diffy-q as a freshman, wow, that is crazy. man good luck with your schedule, remember dont take to hard and demanding classes that will screw your gpa over , and make you have to get A's in much more demanding upper-level classes.

 

[efex101]

I agree with all the above posters, drop one class and have a good transition into college...

 

[exigente chica]

Drop one of those classes girl! Freshman year is very important..for most it's the first time away from home. There is alot more things that will come up besides school. You need to grow and have fun!
Taking too many classes can hurt you, while a moderate load can boost your self esteem which will make it easier to do well later on. Most people have bad freshman year grades, mostly not due to school stuff. It's alot to handle. I took 15 credits my fresh year, becasue I wasn't sure if I could handle the workload or not. The best thing I ever did! I did fine and boosted my confidence about college and realized that's it's not that hard. So, now I always take 20 credits, but that's because I took the 15 first. If I did it the other way around, I would have got burnt out. See how much you can handle.
Psyc tends to be a very demanding class, but calc is just ill. See the thread about calc.
Good luck with your fresman year and remember to have FUN

 

[leorl]

I think your prof is right. 18 hours is the upper limit, but it is fairly normal. The question is, what are you comfortable with? Do you think you can handle it? I actually think that's really typical, the only annoyances being those labs. Freshmen at my school (premed) follow a similar schedule. First semester freshman year really isn't that much harder than high school, assuming you worked during high school to get good grades, etc. Keep in mind that you may want to do extracurricular activities too (sports) and hang out with friends. Do what you feel like...if you want to ease a little into it more, maybe drop a class. If not, I bet you could handle it.

 

[misterfantastic]

i took 19 hrs both semesters of my freshmen year and it wasnt really that bad. It makes your later years a lot easier b/c you can take fewer classes when the courses get tougher. If you're comfortable with your background in bio, chem, and calc then i think 18 hrs is definitely doable. If you ever wanted to overload, now is the time to do it while the courses are easier (at a lower level).

 

[jot]

i think i had that many credits freshman year - and it was tough, but certainly manageable with all the other sorts of tomfoolery that freshman do. each year i thought i was really busy until i went to the next and realized how much time i had. but its a matter of knowing yourself - make sure you do leave time for other stuff, i believe the MSAR 2002 says that you are allowed to have some fun and be pre-med. but don't quote me on that.
-jot

 

[Ibrahim05]

if those classes are introductory classes you are better off getting them out of the way. they should be similar to AP classes in high school

 

[Dr/\/\om]

Originally posted by leorl
I think your prof is right. 18 hours is the upper limit, but it is fairly normal. The question is, what are you comfortable with? Do you think you can handle it? Do what you feel like...if you want to ease a little into it more, maybe drop a class. If not, I bet you could handle it.

I agree with leorl. It's manageable, but you could drop one if you want to ease in more slowly. (of course I took 20 hrs my first semester, so you may not want to listen to me!)

 

[wgu]

I took 18 both semesters freshman year. I think it is a good idea. You're probably the most gun-ho right now than any other time, freshman year you won't have as many EC oppertunities so investing in classes in good (you want to do what you want senior year and not be stuck in a stupid prereq for your major), and freshman classes are relatively easy. If you're taking sophomore level classes don't worry, they're easy too :-D Just be ready to taper back if things get too hot. It would definitely be helpful to talk w/ your future professors when starting then do a re-evaluation on your schedule.

 

[Kry]

I took 19 creds as well my first semester and it was tough as hell. I wouldn't recommend it at any cost.



[Bio 1 + lab 5 creds]
[Chem 1 + Lab 5 creds]
[Mechanics 1 (calculus based) 3 creds]
[Honors Calculus 1 3 creds]
[English 1 3 creds]

 

[Bikini Princess]

I think it's best to avoid too many hours for your first semester, since you are just getting used to school.

 

[Hallm_7]

Remember labs take up time, but they don't count as hours. Counting your lab time, you'll spend 6 hours in chem and bio, but only get 4 hours of credit. So science classes can be deceiving as to how much time is involved. Maybe drop psych and then add a 1 or 2 hour class. I figure your school requires a 1 hour intro class, so you could take it. That would give you 16 hours.

Also think about the fact that your first semester in college is the time that you are least prepared to study. First semesters are notorious for low GPAs because freshmen tend not to study enough (not the rule though). So this course load your sophomore year would be a lot easier just because you're more used to how things are in college and are better organized.

I don't think the number of hours will get you into trouble. I think the number of hours coupled with the courses you are taking may give you some trouble.