Course Overloads

<p>I'm seeing everyone talk about the courses they are taking for Winter and it brings the question to mind....has anyone here ever done an "overload" (more than 18credits)? If so how hard is it to get the advisor to okay that choice. I can see I'm going to need a few semesters around 20 credits in the next few years to complete my major plus teaching certification, so I'm hoping to find out from someone who's been through it, just how many hoops I'll have to jump through.</p>

<p>I've heard it done before, but mostly from music/art students who's classes carry credits with no appreciable difference in workload. For a reg student, even 18 credits is not recommended. Plus, I know of plenty people getting teaching certificates that have managed to keep it within 18 credits...perhaps you should talk to an advisor about that.</p>

<p>You can take over 18 credits however, and I don't think you even need an override...the university will automatically charge you more I believe.</p>

<p>KB</p>

<p>Why not take a summer course at UM or go overseas for a few weeks (and rack up 6 -8 credits in 6 weeks)? I understand there is scholarship money available for some of the summer overseas programs, but I don't know how hard it is to get.</p>

<p>I know a girl who's taking 19 credits and she seems fine with it, in fact, her schedule is almost lighter than mine (im taking 15 credits). as far as I know, you do have to get an override from your advisor... in my opinion, it's not how many credits you're taking, but how many classes... if you're taking six 3 credit classes (18 credits total), i think it would be harder than, say, five 4 credit classes (20 credits total) ... i don't speak from experience though.</p>

<p>a friend of mine graduated in 3 years with her teaching certificate. she took around 17-18 a semester and took spring and summer classes. don't take 20 though.</p>

<p>You just need advisor approval so Wolverine Access won't yell at you for going over 18 credits. I can't see why an advisor wouldn't approve. I know lots of people who have done fine with 18 or 18+ credits, but I also mainly know the Honors math majors who kick ass at that kind of thing.</p>

<p>Like Anhydrosis2000 said, summer/spring term might be a better way to go. If you still need to meet language requirement, you can do an intensive version of a language and cover 2 semesters (8 credits) of work in a half term. It's easier, you learn it a lot better because you're really immersing yourself in a language with 4 hours a day instead of just 1, and also get to take advantage of some special cultural events that you don't get to do during the normal school year (my class did Merengue/Salsa dancing for an hour every Tuesday).</p>

<p>Well, the way I calculate it I'll have approx 159 credits to complete!! And SAP will cause me to run out of aid in 8 semesters. I plan to take spring/summer classes, but I assume if I apply for aid for those that they will count towards my 8 semesters.</p>

<p>Dilksy- yes I'm planning on taking the full four semesters of German during Spring and then Summer. I'm a little worried I'm crazy for trying that, but the courses do sound interesting.</p>

<p>Anhydrosis- I might end up going over to Germany at some point, but with three young kids (I'm a nontraditional student) it is going to be much harder than just going by myself and I'm pretty certain aid wouldn't cover the costs involved.</p>

<p>I'm planning a comparative lit major with focus on English, German, and Latin (and even then I'll be having to self-teach a third foreign language to get into the top grad schools...if aid wasn't an issue I'd just take the courses for Spanish or French too). </p>

<p>The teaching certification for English, German, and Latin will add 33 EDU credits and 44 credits throughout the three departments in question (above and beyond the ones needed for comp lit). </p>

<p>At 18 credits x 8 semesters I can get 144 credits covered, which would leave me paying for one semester (which is okay, I'll borrow extra), but when you figure in semesters where I end up with 16 or 17 credits and spring/summer where a lot of courses aren't offered and I'll have more like 14 credits, then I might even run over by two semesters....to me I though an overload would be better than $12,000 out of pocket for 2 semesters tuition.</p>

<p>Honestly, it all depends on the workload. I was looking at 19 credits for next semester, but I ended up changing my schedule around and I'm now at 18.</p>

<p>The thing was though that 5 of those credits were chem 125/126/130, which I shouldn't have a ton of trouble in, 2 of them were for Engin 110.</p>

<p>Right now I'm probably doing something tougher with 18 credits...Great Books 192, Calc 3 Applied Honors, Physics 140, and Chem 125/126/130</p>