<p>I know most of you guys take at least 4 classes/courses each semester, some even take 5 or 6. Can I take 3 for each semester?</p>
<p>Why? Four classes is usually manageable. With 3 classes a semester it would take you more than 4 years to graduate.</p>
<p>You have to take more than 24 units in a semester to be considered a full-time student, but it’s certainly allowed to take any number of units you personally happen to want to take in a semester.</p>
<p>But as la montagne points out, it will most likely affect your time to graduation.</p>
<p>Hey, because I have several on campus jobs, and they take a lot of time. I am taking Course 9, and it doesn’t have many subjects as other courses.</p>
<p>Umm, what? In Course 9, you’ll be required to take just as many classes as any other person at MIT - you’ll have more flexibility/elective space compared to some other majors, but this does NOT translate into less classes.</p>
<p>For the record, I had 3 on-campus jobs last semester, had an active social life, got a decent amount of sleep, and also took 4 classes. I suggest you learn to manage your time better.</p>
<p>Right – in any major, regardless of the number of required courses, you will still need to earn 180 units outside the GIRs. If you took all of your GIRs at MIT (no AP/ASE credit), this means you will need to earn an average of 36 units outside the GIRs every semester after your freshman year, which tends to translate into one HASS and three other classes per semester.</p>
<p>This semester I have 2 jobs (1 UROP, 1 grading), am extremely heavily involved in a theatre group on campus, have a social life, and am taking 5 classes. It’s a lot, but I find that work expands to fill the amount of time you have. The more I’m doing, the more I get done in any amount of time.</p>
<p>Also, trust me, once you’ve mastered your time management skills, you feel like a ninja. It’s cool stuff.</p>
<p>My son is taking five classes, is in the symphony (MITSO), has fraternity requirements, has a girlfriend (moderate maintenance!), and feels he has free time most days and most weeks to exercise, watch a football game, etc. One of his friends took a semester off after freshman year, but his multiple other friends and acquaintances are fine, as is he.</p>
<p>Thank you all! Those are so sweet, now I decide to take at least 4 next semester or 5. :P. Thank you guys!</p>
<p>I somehow don’t feel like I acquired the same level of time management skills as everyone else here apparently did. Hmm.</p>
<p>But, in response to the original question, there’s no reason to take only 3 courses in any given semester. As everyone said, it’s not a really good idea to do all the time, since it will take you more than 4 years to graduate. But if you expect a particular heavy load in one semester, or see the need to spend more time at work for financial reasons, or whatever- sure, take 3 classes. I just wouldn’t make it a habit.</p>
<p>^ Seconding LauraN.</p>
<p>Agreed – I don’t think that the overall goal to average 4 classes per semester (given that you didn’t come in with AP/ASE credit) means that you need to think about taking 4 or 5 classes every semester.</p>
<p>Despite what people say, it’s really not all that common to take 5 or more classes in a semester, and it takes careful scheduling of those classes to make sure you’re not overwhelmed. Most people at MIT take 48 units a semester, every semester, and I would bet that most people have at least one sub-48-unit semester.</p>
<p>It’s a good idea to sit down during your sophomore year or so and plan out the kinds of semesters you’ll need to have to graduate. Especially in a major like course 9, where some classes are only offered once every other year, you may find that you have to do some thinking to take the classes you want to take. You don’t have to rigidly stick to a plan like that, but it’s helpful to know what you need to do to graduate on time.</p>
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<p>Heh, I did, and ironically it was probably my most hosing one in terms of straight-up hours required per week (I was taking the old 6.170, among other things)! I also had a few over-48-unit semesters. But the majority of mine (4 out of 8, I think) were 48 units.</p>
<p>I’m taking sub-48-units this semester (dropped two classes after add date, and thus too late to add anything to fill in the space), and to tell the truth… I hate it. I feel constantly behind on my total units to graduate, I seem to be lazier about getting things done, and I am constantly obsessing about my course schedule (it’s now my most time-consuming hobby). I agree with montagne above in the fact that work DOES expand to fill up time. With my sub-48-unit semester, I’m definitely not as efficient about getting things done as I could be. Oftentimes it’s due to the fact that I just climb into bed and end up taking really long naps when I could technically be working…</p>
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Correction.</p>
<p>And yup, I’ve got less than 48 units this semester, and I will have less than 48 this Spring, too. All part of the “dedicate more time to graduate school applications” plan…</p>
<p>I think it’s cool that some people can take 5, 6, 7, or even 8 classes if they can manage to do well in all of them, but I know a lot of people who overcommit and then struggle with dipping grades. My strategy has always been to take fewer classes (4, or 3 with two UROPS) and try to do well on them. That seems to go well with my personality and makes sense for my goal of getting into graduate school. However, packing the schedule really tight works just well with some of my friends—it very much varies from person to person and depends a lot on where one wants to be five years from now.</p>
<p>yeah its fine</p>