<p>My son is a freshman at UW with a STEM major. He came in with a lot of AP credits, and should be able to graduate within 3 yrs by taking 15-16 cr per quarter. He will be taking many upper level classes in his major, so will be pursuing some rather rigorous coursework.</p>
<p>In order to rack up 15 cr/ semester, he will need to take 5 courses. At the semester-based schools with which I am familiar 4 courses is the standard load. 5 courses seems like a lot to juggle. </p>
<p>I have suggested that he ask around for recommendations for easier courses to take for his fifth course. But I thought cc might be a good source, as well. The courses don't even have to fulfill breadth requirements: he has that pretty well under control. It is the 120 credit requirement that he needs to address.</p>
<p>Any suggestions?</p>
<p>Frankly, you would get better information by simply entering “Easy Classes at University of Wisconsin” into the Google search box.</p>
<p>Tried that first. Came up with precious little. Thought I’d give it a shot here…</p>
<p>Semesters at UW. Many students come in with many AP credits. It is possible to shorten the degree process by only taking the minimum credits and courses in one major but shortening the process to 3 years shortchanges the UW college experience. eg my son could have had a math major degree in 3 years but 4 years meant an Honors degree with some grad level math courses at an undergrad price. </p>
<p>What are your son’s intentions? Work or grad school of some kind? How many lab hours will his major entail? Mine was Chemistry- Organic labs (not including lecture courses) were 2 credits for 8 and 9 hours- that’s the same now, two afternoons or mornings per week for just one class. An Honors degree requires either a senior thesis or grad school level courses- that means a 4th year.</p>
<p>The quality, not just number of credits, will prepare him for his future. Now is his chance to explore a lot of unrelated fields. What is easy for one person is difficult for another. Some survey courses can be more time consuming than one would think. An additional foreign language can be fun. History of Science courses are interesting. Symphony and Art History courses add to one’s enjoyment of arts decades later.</p>
<p>Finally- it is well and good for you to have an interest in your son’s college career but everything is now up to him. He will talk to people in his dorm, classes and online and discover some interesting classes to round out his semesters. Please do not try to rush him into fewer semesters. He will be better prepared for grad school with more advanced courses- many STEM courses have prerequisites. Or he may add a second major, such as computer science if that interests him.</p>
<p>Enjoy discovering how he chooses his college journey. Decades later he will be better off making full use of UW instead of rushing to complete a degree early.</p>