So I am having this conversation with my parents, and they recommend I do not take more than 15 but I want to take 17 credit hours. The classes I was looking at were:
SGS 101 (Thinking Globally, pretty much intro to global studies)
ENG 101
MAT 270 (Calculus with Analytical Geometry)
RUS 101(Russian)
LIA 101(Student success at the college of liberal arts)
CSE 110(Principles of Programming with Java)
The class I would drop is the programming one.
What will your major be? I think 15 hours is ideal, particularly for your first semester.
It totally depends on the student. I don’t like bright line rules. My D did 19 credits each semester freshman year, had plenty of time for her ECs and fun, and got excellent grades. You need to know what you can personally handle.
Your parents are correct in this case. Don’t overload on classes. You will need to acclimate to college life as a freshman.
Your academic advisor would recommend the same thing.
Ideally, I want to double major in Global Studies and Mathematics with a focus in Statistics
Ok thanks that really what I am considering in this. Personally, I feel as if I would be fine with the 17 credits, but then again I have no idea how college will really be.
Since it is an unknown to you, I think you should definitely start with the “safer” option of 15 credits. You’ll have plenty of other semesters and summers if you want them, to load up. The risk of overloading yourself your very first semester could have high consequences…what if you feel so stressed that you want to drop out? Or you don’t have time to socialize at all and miss that important first semester when all of the other freshman are building their social relationships? Agree that this is an individual decision though. Do you pick up things very quickly? Do you spend less time on schoolwork than your peers? More? Are your time management, prioritization and self motivation skills super strong?
How many credits is each course?
For MAT 270 (assuming it is calculus 1), be sure that you know the stuff up to precalculus well. http://www.math.buffalo.edu/rur/rurci3.cgi may help you self-assess your knowledge and let you know what topics you may need to review, if any. If you have had high school calculus and done well on the AP test, you may want to start in a more advanced math course, after trying the old final exam for MAT 270.
For RUS 101, you are presumably a beginner in Russian language. If not (including if you are a heritage speaker), you may have to ask the department what the proper placement is.
CS courses with programming could be substantial amounts of work compared to the number of credits they have.
I did 18 credits for my first semester and got straight A’s. However, that’s because I had a lot of time on my hands and did the “2hrs of studying per credit hour strat”. If you aren’t going to put in the time, then take the 15. If you are, then take as many as you want. Just warning you that all of my friends who went partying every weekend did really poorly, so watch out hmm
One of mine did 18 hours but was organized and deeply interested in each course.
Take a hard look at the course descriptions before deciding. SGS and LIA don’t sound like demanding courses, but we don’t know. One issue to consider, after your own assessment of how you work, is that other non-credit time issue: social life. Are you the sort who will prioritize properly or be distracted? My kiddo was a sort of “nose down/do the work/party on weekends sort.”
15-18 credits is typical at my daughter’s school. She took 17 her first semester and has 16 this semester (same number of classes). She studies a lot but still has time for fun stuff.
I’m not familiar with student success as a class. Is there real work involved with that or is it more of a freshman dialogue class. I took 18 credits right from the beginning but my last semester when I did a 20 hour a week internship I cut down to 12 credits.
Intro language courses typically require a lot of time outside the classroom, in language labs etc., they take a big commitment. A 200 level Math course is also likely to involve a lot of time, while an Intro English class will probably involve lots of papers. If the standard course load is 4 substantive courses at your school, then as a first semester first year student, my parent advice would be not to overload. There will be plenty of opportunities to do so later, when you have a better feel for departments, professors, individual course expectations etc. First semester involves a lot of adjustment in terms of academic and social independence, so leave yourself time for that adjustment.
You can alway drop a class without penalty at many schools. Take what you want and see how the first couple of weeks go. If by the drop date or before you feel overwhelmed then drop a class. My son took 18 credits each semester freshman year, worked 10 hours a week or more, played intramural sports and started a student group. It wasn’t easy but just takes some time management and priorities.
I had 18 units (6 classes) my first semester of my freshman year and 17 the next semester. It worked out okay for me because they were easier GE and intro-level courses and it allowed me to have some easier semesters in the following years. But I would tell you to be cautious about it, and definitely be ready to drop a class if it feels like too much.
Does the college have the grade stats on their websites for the different courses? My daughter is able to look at all the courses offered and see what the average grades are. Very helpful when trying to see how difficult each class is and how many she can handle.
Math, CS, and Russian (assuming you’re not a heritage speaker but a true beginner) will each require about 10-12 hours of work outside of class. English is likely to be 5-6 most weeks but 10-12 onweeks a paper is due. LIA IS likely to be 1 hour a week (do it and get an A, don’t waste that ONE opportunity in your college career to get a good grade for little time spent - many freshmen feel that since it’s easy they shouldn’t devote the time to it, missing the point). SGS is likely typical so 6-8 every week.
I’d drop CS until I have a handle on college classes. Once you’ve got it, you can overload and take CS on top of your schedule.
How many credits is: LIA 101(Student success at the college of liberal arts)
If none, that means that two classes are 4 credits…probably Calc and Russian.
What I would suggest as a parent would be to take 15 or 16 credits…you have to learn about college too…meeting friends/clubs/how to college…See how that goes and then add more credits next semester if it goes well.
Also look at what is the norm for your college. If 17 is a norm for freshman, then you shoudl be ok.