What constitutes too few credits?

[seals44]

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Do adcoms look very closely at the number of credit hours per semester students took, and look down upon those to took lower numbers?

I am currently averaging 13 credits per semester, which I feel is extremely low compared to the average pre-med. Transfer credits and summer classes will assure that I have no problems with graduating on time, but I'm worried that averaging 13 credits per semester during the school year will cause adcoms to either rank me lower than those with similar stats, or not believe I can handle the rigors of med school.

Note: I am going into sophomore year, and so far am continuing with 13 credits per semester. During the school year, I do research for ~7 hours per week (for no academic credit), and also plan to volunteer for 5-6 hours per week starting now.

 

[DrStraggler]

I'm about to go into Senior year, and I have had 14 credits every semester except one, where I had 15. This year I have 12 credits per semester.

I came in with a lot of AP credits, that took out a bunch of my geneds....I contacted my top 5 schools and none of them said that they'd take that into heavy consideration and that "low" would be going part-time or something (like lower than 12 credits).

I think your'e all right, but if you feel uneasy, throw in an easy 1 or 2 credit.

 

[Mornhavon]

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[DrStraggler]

How an adcom views credit hours:

Punk a55 B**** <15 (Normal) < 18+ Baller



im not an adcom so i dont really know

Encouraging this kid to take 18+ credits so that he looks like a "baller" to adcoms is really, really horrible advice.

If you push yourself to take 18+ credits and fail miserably, the fact that you took so many classes together won't matter worth ****!! They'll see that you can't handle it.

Taking it slow, acing all your classes and maintaing a 3.7+ GPA will show them that this kid's got it together!



Maintenance of GPA always comes before these "credit" issues, because if an adcom sees that you have a 3.7+ GPA they won't care to look at how many credits you might have, that's like the most insignificant detail.

 

[Mornhavon]

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[terrifiedcarrot]

I avged about 14 credits/semester and I did have 2 lower credit semesters (12). My premed advisor was concerned about my courseload although she said that a lower credit semester of only hard, science classes could offset it a little bit. Idk though.

 

[Mel Belle]

Encouraging this kid to take 18+ credits so that he looks like a "baller" to adcoms is really, really horrible advice.

If you push yourself to take 18+ credits and fail miserably, the fact that you took so many classes together won't matter worth ****!! They'll see that you can't handle it.

Taking it slow, acing all your classes and maintaing a 3.7+ GPA will show them that this kid's got it together!



Maintenance of GPA always comes before these "credit" issues, because if an adcom sees that you have a 3.7+ GPA they won't care to look at how many credits you might have, that's like the most insignificant detail.

I'm technically "supposed" to have 19 credits this fall in order to catch up from last fall when I was in the hospital and had to lower my credits. Yeah. Not happening. I thought it through and I can just take a class in the winter. Not worth it. There's nothing cool about 19 credits if you can't handle the load. This girl who was getting Cs and Ds in my gen chem class was bragging about how she's gonna have 19 credits this semester. As if having that many credits (regardless of performance) makes you somehow superior. But then again... It can be done. This really bright girl I know is supposedly taking 22 credits... But she's your typical "above and beyond" girl who does really well in school, is in student government, head of clubs, etc. I mean... There's a chance I could do it. But I don't wanna go into that territory if I don't have to. So I'm settling for 16 credits (cell/molec bio, orgo, calc-based physics, calc) with hopefully a few credits of research. Otherwise I'll be working as a tutor.

My pre-med adviser is super paranoid about credits, though. She says we need to have 16-18 credits every semester if we wanna be taken seriously. Maybe the credit system at my school is different. Idk. I suppose you don't "have" to, but I think 16-18 is a reasonable load if you're trying to prepare for the rigor of medical school.

 

[IslandStyle808]

Do adcoms look very closely at the number of credit hours per semester students took, and look down upon those to took lower numbers?

I am currently averaging 13 credits per semester, which I feel is extremely low compared to the average pre-med. Transfer credits and summer classes will assure that I have no problems with graduating on time, but I'm worried that averaging 13 credits per semester during the school year will cause adcoms to either rank me lower than those with similar stats, or not believe I can handle the rigors of med school.

Note: I am going into sophomore year, and so far am continuing with 13 credits per semester. During the school year, I do research for ~7 hours per week (for no academic credit), and also plan to volunteer for 5-6 hours per week starting now.

Do a search of this forum because there is a lot of info about this. There are people who have done years with 12 credits/semester and still have gotten in. However, if it is easy for you to get a 4.0 at 12 credits then you should push up your credit load. If not, then stay at a lower credit load.

 

[Goro]

We look at how well you do in your classes, not how many you take.

Now, if someone were to take one course per semester over 20 years, then we'd have a problem with that. But seriously, non-trads who only take one course a year (I've seen it happen) aren't taken very seriously by us.

Do adcoms look very closely at the number of credit hours per semester students took, and look down upon those to took lower numbers?

I am currently averaging 13 credits per semester, which I feel is extremely low compared to the average pre-med. Transfer credits and summer classes will assure that I have no problems with graduating on time, but I'm worried that averaging 13 credits per semester during the school year will cause adcoms to either rank me lower than those with similar stats, or not believe I can handle the rigors of med school.

Note: I am going into sophomore year, and so far am continuing with 13 credits per semester. During the school year, I do research for ~7 hours per week (for no academic credit), and also plan to volunteer for 5-6 hours per week starting now.

 

[PreMedRookie]

I took 15 credits my first semester and 12 or 13 credits every semester since then. However I was taking multiple labs each semester, which at my school, only count as one credit so it was feasible to take many more courses.

Do whatever you have to do to graduate. Everyone is so concerned with "what looks good' when your focus should be on doing what you are comfortable with and what allows you to graduate on time. I will have two minors when I graduate too, so you can get your required classes in plus other more fun classes without taking anywhere near 18 credits at a time.

 

[physguy]

I took 19 credit hours my first 3 semesters bc so many classes interested me and I thought I'd be a bum to take fewer. Honestly, I realized its not worth the headaches and all nighters and trying to schedule time to socialize. As long as you take everything required and keep a rockin GPA, who's gonna argue?