<p>Hi, i will be attending the college this fall as a freshman.</p>
<p>So, i was looking at the classes to take ... and i have</p>
<p>Calculus 1, Freshman seminar, Gen chem 1, Elem Stat/Prob. thats 14 credit hours total.</p>
<p>I also want to take spanish... then its gonna be 18 credit hours. Is that too much?</p>
<p>also, does the credit hour means the time for classes? like 14 credit hours = 14 hours of classes? im confused.</p>
<p>Thank you in advance.</p>
<p>Calc 1 is 4 credits.
Freshmen seminars are 4 credits.
Gen Chem 1 is 3 credits + 1 credit lab
Elementary Stat/Prob is 3 credits.</p>
<p>That’s 4/4/4/3 = 15 credits.</p>
<p>So if you want to take a 4 credit Spanish class also, you will need permission from… someone. Whoever it is that you need permission from to take more than 18 credits.</p>
<p>I suggest you take 4 of the 5 classes you listed. It might be hard to get into Spanish, I don’t know. It looks like you are trying to take a 4 credit Spanish class, which means 101/102, and I feel like those can fill up, though they probably reserve some spaces for freshmen.</p>
<p>The credit number is generally the amount of hours the class meets. Most 3 credit classes meet 3 times a week for 50 minutes each, or 2 times for 80 minutes each. Science labs are 1 credit, and they meet once a week for 3 or 4 hours, and sometimes include a discussion session as well.</p>
<p>For example, you might have:
Chem Lecture, MWF 10-10:50
Lab Discussion, M 1-1:50
Lab, H 2-5</p>
<p>The freshmen seminars are 4 credits because they are supposed to be more intense on the workload outside of class. They will probably meet like a normal 3 credit class. Calc classes are 4 credits because they include a 4th day where there is a “lab” which is basically a problem session.</p>
<p>I suggest you aim for 13-15 credits your first semester.</p>
<p>Remember that you need 120 credits to graduate, which is 15 credits * 8 semesters. If you come in with AP or IB credits, then you have a head start. Sometimes programs abroad do not give you the full 15, so if you are thinking of doing a semester abroad, make sure you look into that early. Of course, if you go abroad over the summer, then all your credits you get then are bonus, since you will still be on campus for 8 semesters.</p>
<p>You should be able to log into banner and look at the classes that are offered (more spaces will open in many of them, don’t worry if everything is full) and see what your schedule would look like if you took the classes that you want to take.</p>
<p>Hope that helps some… feel free to ask more questions if I didn’t really answer you. haha</p>
<p>Generally it’s recommended that 13-15 credits is good for one’s first semester…just so you can transition more easily. To take 18 is an overload and may not be granted to a first semester student and is likely too many credits for a first-semester student.</p>
<p>You may want to wait and see if any AP/IB credit comes in that would grant you credit or exemption from any of the classes you’ve mentioned.</p>
<p>You can also talk to your academic advisor during Orientation and speak with your student academic advising contact over the summer to ask their advice on your course selection.</p>
<p>19 is an overload, not 18. I did 18 my first semester. It wasn’t too terrible, but I don’t recommend it unless some of your classes are very easy.</p>
<p>Gen Chem I is 3 credits and the lab is 1 credit, but the lab is actually optional. You need it if you’re taking the class to major in biology, chemistry, or for med school but not for the neuroscience major.</p>
<p>Credit hours vaguely correspond to how much time you spend in class. Labs are usually only one credit for 3-4 hours though.</p>
<p>I think you also need the lab for GER… but that might not be true.</p>
<p>@soccerguy – <em>Most but not all</em> of the freshman seminars are 4 credits. The non-writing intensive ones (150 as opposed to 150W) are 3 credits, I believe.</p>
<p>@kakayronaldo – It’s a matter of personal preference, but 14 credits is basically a full load and you will almost certainly makeup the one credit w/ (if not AP or IB credit) extra credits down the line. I only took four classes my first semester and it worked out pretty solidly, giving me time to explore non-academic stuff while doing well in my classes. I believe, as W&M Admission pointed out, you need permission from some deanship (Dean Peterson’s office, maybe?) to take more than 19 credits. In that case, I don’t foresee that office being particularly compelled to grant you an override.</p>
<p>You do need some kind of lab that fulfills the GER 2 lab requirement, but you don’t have to take the lab component for both 2A and 2B. Just one lab.</p>