So I am majoring in business with a concentration in accounting. I am currently going into my sophomore year and I decided that I would like to achieve 18 credit hours for each semester (fall and spring). I was just wondering with a major in accounting, is this actually reasonable or should I just continue with 5 courses per semester? Will the accounting and business courses be too difficult for me to achieve this in the long run?
My class are:
Fall
Intro to Financial Acct.
Intro to Info Sys. for Bus.
Econ. History
Intro to Statistical Theory Econ.
Business and Prof. Communication
Personal Finance
Spring
Adv. Microcomputer Apps.
Bus and Professional Writing
Intro to Managerial Acct.
Elementary Logic (Philosophy)
Legal Environment Bus
Spanish II
No one can answer this without knowing how strong of a student you are, how good your study habits and how time consuming each course is. I did this once or twice as an engineering student and did not enjoy the experience. But if I am honest, my study habits could have been better. I worked hard but not efficiently. I also picked the roughest semester to try it.
I would say many find six courses doable. The trick is balancing the work load. If you have one course that has a higher than average workload balance it with a course that is lower than average workload. Six course of average workload or higher will prove difficult for most. Also look at how flexible the add/drop policy is.
Talk to fellow students to get a feel for what the course are like. At some schools intro course are relatively easy. At other, intro courses are set up to give the student a real taste of what the upper level courses are like and as a result can be tough and have the same course load as a higher level class.
My GPA is currently a 3.6. In high school I have taken Spanish up to III, as well as random classes for computer software and writing. I have no worries about anything involving those subjects. If I had to say, my biggest concern is the potential 3 writing courses in the spring. I know that the Legal Bus, Business Writing, and Philosophy class inolves writing. I have no idea how intense the writing will be in those courses, but I am aware that papers can be time consuming if given close to a deadline. The only benefit is no final exam.
Most college students have no idea yet what they are capable of, and won’t really have a sense until they are in the work world. You should have no problem taking 18 credits – successfully – if you are organized and disciplined and dedicated. There are more than enough hours in the week … so long as you are not spending a lot of those hours watching Netflix or hanging out or partying. You can absolutely do this if want it and you prioritize it. And you can still have time left over for extracurriculars and socializing.
Your fall semester sounds easier than your spring semester. This is good. You can develop your skills and work up toward the more challenging semester. You can always drop a class in the spring if it was too much.
I would advise you to not under-rate the difficulty of college Spanish II. It’s very doable, but college Spanish levels are not comparable to high school Spanish levels. Many students who have taken Spanish IV in high school will be placed at the Spanish II level for college. Furthermore, you’ll have had at least a year and a half without taking any Spanish, and it’s natural to get a bit rusty. I say kudos for continuing with Spanish and I recommend it, but just don’t assume it will be easy unless you got very high grades in high school and it comes naturally to you. You’d be wise to practice some in your free time (or watch some favorite movies in Spanish).
I think it would be doable as long as you are committed to doing well and don’t constantly waste time. As long as you are able to drop one of them if it gets to be too much, I don’t see any major downside of trying
Your school has certain GPA requirements for you to be able to overload credits - check your student handbook to see if you are eligible. If you sign up for 18 credits and it turns out to be too much, you can still withdraw from a class and maintain a full course load.
Two of my classes this past semester were worth fewer credits than normal (1.5 and 2), so my six classes added up to only 15.5 credits. The two classes, ballroom dancing and orgo lab, were a lot of work for the credits. Neither was an easy A. It made for a busy semester. Would not advise if you can avoid it.
That’s a challenging load. Do you work? I took a similar schedule and working 20 hours per week it was taxing when my standard was to make A’s. Doable and sustainable for two semesters aren’t necessarily the same.
You make a good point, I do work part time. So far it’s going pretty well. Then again it’s only the first few weeks of class. All of my assignments are turned in online and I opted for eBooks with these courses so I won’t have to physically bring books with me everywhere. I try to read and finish homework assignments during my work breaks. Someone recommended completing classwork in advance, and I can say that really works! I’m a chapter in my classes so I don’t have to understand topics at the last minute. I’ll let you guys know I’ve I survived finals and midterms, that is the biggest concern with studying. Thanks for the info!