Are more classes required by Boston College than at other Liberal Arts Schools? I heard that 5 classes are taken per semester at B.C. as opposed to 4 classes.
It’s really 120 units for graduation, which is typical of colleges on a semester system.
Sure, you may be taking 5 courses, but they are generally 3 units each. In contrast, at BU you have to take 32-4 unit courses (128 units)…
The extra class really makes a big difference. regardless of the credit hours. There is no ballroom dancing at BC.
Dear All : I am consistently puzzled by questions such as that posed by our original poster. On the one hand, students are selecting Top 30 colleges based on the breadth of the experience while on the other hand query whether four or five courses are required as if shopping for a lighter work load. If you can get away with a lighter work load, potential employers will know and you can expect that your employment options years down the road will be limited. Do NOT shop for a college based on how few or how many credits will be required. No matter what, every BA/BS program will look to have you make academic progress towards your degree within four years.
Next, if your tuition payment affords you the chance to take five classes without any fee increases, why in goodness sakes would you not avail yourself of that opportunity? Look at a course that you might not have otherwise chosen. Since Boston College will look for four years of the five major subjects in high school (english, social studies, math, science, foreign language) on your application, you should expect that the same rigor will be required in your undergraduate curriculum at the university.
In terms of class time, expect to be in the physical class room between 15 and 18 hours (depending on lab requirements) per week. I always tell my students to budget between 2 hours per classroom hour and 5 hours per classroom hour for non-lab courses for study time and homework. Hence, expect between 30 and 75 hours per week of outside work depending on your own capabilities. For most students in most courses, the numbers will be closer to 45-50 hours of work per week on average including class room time which is what you would expect from a full time job. Remember, college at a Top 30 University is indeed a full-time job and you should approach it in such a manner. But this full time job comes with built-in perks : on-campus entertainment, built-in colleague groups, local travel, frequent vacations, and more opportunities to explore parallel topics. Use your time wisely - as most freshmen will tell you, your biggest first semester challenge will be time management, a great learning experience at a university.
In closing, many uuniversities are talking about a full course load being four courses : for decades and decades, five courses has been the gold standard when using a semester system. Relish the opportunity.