<p>How difficult/common is it to take 5 courses? Are only the super smart kids allowed to take this many or does it happen quite often? I’m going to be in SMG next year and I was thinking of taking WR100, EC101, MA120, LJ111 and SMG121 for the fall semester. Am I overloading myself or is this manageable?</p>
<p>You must be a senior or have a 3.5 GPA to take 5 classes. I wouldn't recommend taking 5 classes your first semester. You will need that time to adjust. I don't thing freshman are even allowed to anyways, maybe someone can back me up on that.</p>
<p>But even if you can later on, only do it if you absolutely have to. And as an SMG student and I am telling you DO NOT do it during Core. Not unless you want to have a nervous breakdown. It doesn't even have to do with being smart. The stress is not worth it for the extra 4 credits.</p>
<p>You can't take 5 courses as a freshman. Not allowed. They want you to succeed. You can take 18 credits, which works out to 4 classes plus 1 or 2 single credit things - like something at FitRec.</p>
<p>You can take 5 courses as a sophomore if you have a 3.3. I know that's the general rule. I assume it's the same in SMG. </p>
<p>When you get to that point, you have to fill out a form.</p>
<p>Is there anyway to get placed out of MA120 without taking AP's? Is there a placement test I can take? I messed up in precalc because I had a lateness problem and pretty much screwed myself over. As a result, I wasn't able to take AP calc and am now taking just regular calc. I had a 99 in the class first semester and currently have a 99 this semester. So what do I do?</p>
<p>freshmen are not allowed to take more than 18 credits.</p>
<p>for sophomores and juniors, if your overall GPA is above 3.0, u can take up to 20 credits for a fee. if it's above 3.3, u can take up to 20 credits for free.</p>
<p>for seniors, u can take up to 20 credits for free no matter what.</p>
<p>18 credits is very do-able. i often take 4 regular classes and then either a fitrec class or a 2-credit academic class in addition (some 2-credit classes i've taken are music appreciation and positive psychology.. and next semester i'll be taking acting for non-majors).</p>
<p>Out of curiosity, does BU use the 4-credit per class system like that of LAC?</p>
<p>I'm a second semester freshman in BU and I am currently taking 5 courses. It's a LOT of work but if you're dedicated, it isn't a problem at all. You cannot overload as a first semester freshman but you can as a second semester freshman provided that you get above a 3.3. My advisor recommended having at least a 3.5 if you're thinking of overloading. Hope this helps!</p>
<p>Oh and yes, BU does use the 4-credit per class system</p>
<p>What college are you in? Some will not let you overload until 2nd year.</p>
<p>My S took 5 classes fall '06 as a second year student with junior standing. It was more work than he thought. However, he is doing BUCOP with CAS and COM and had a good reason to overload.</p>
<p>They really need a better acronym than BUCOP. Sounds like a police force. Why not just say "dual degree"?</p>
<p>High school kids do not realize how much work a college class can be.</p>
<p>Yeeeah five classes looks great on paper. And then you have four exams and a 15 page paper in a four day period or something crazy like that and you want to die.</p>
<p>I just want to add that as a freshman in SMG you will actually be able to take up to 20 credits because the average SMG courseload is 18 credits as opposed to 16 at most other BU colleges. This means that in addition to SM121, WR100, EC101, and your CAS elective, you can also take a 2-credit PDP (phys. ed) course.</p>
<p>5 classes arent allowed first year? i was lookin at the CGS class schedule, which is the same for everyone ofcourse, and im in CGS, and it said that 2nd semester freshman have the option of takin 5 classes.. 4 chosen for them and one elective.. so umm 5 classes are allowed then rite? coz i was plannin on takin that elective =S im confused!</p>
<p>Oh sorry, it's different in CGS. You are fine taking 5 classes that semester. At least as far as I know.</p>
<p>That's because you can take rhetoric (I think) as a 2 credit class and do a 4 credit elective with that. It's not five 4 credit classes.</p>
<p>ok.. i still don't understand the credit hour system with universities =S.. how does that work?</p>
<p>Schools vary. BU uses probably the most common "hours" or "points" system. A regular class is 4. You can take 1 or 2 credit classes. These are usually things like fly fishing or dance - or, it appears, a version of rhetoric. A lot of the 1 or 2 credit classes are pass / fail.</p>
<p>a usual class is 4 credits. a class that demands significantly more time per week may be 5 or 6 credits (some science lab classes and SMG classes are like that).</p>
<p>there are many 2-credit academic classes that people take simply cuz they're interested in the subject. some of these include acting for non-majors, music appreciation, positive psychology, and computer literacy. these classes usually meet less often per week. all the ones i've taken so far gave regular grades (A, A-, B+, etc.), but a few are pass/fail.</p>
<p>then there's physical education (PDP) classes. u can choose anything from swimming, soccer, tennis, golf, billiards, water aerobics, dance, ballroom dance, yoga, karate, tai chi, ice skating.. the list goes on. these classes are usually 1 credit for half a credit. they usually only meet about 1 hour per week and are pass/fail. as long as u have a consistent attendance record and try your best, u will pass. they're really fun ways to learn a new activity and meet other people.</p>
<p>Did the psych department really add a Positive Psychology course this year? Who teaches it?</p>