<p>How many credits should I take my first semester? Should I do the classic 15 credits every semester? Or take 12 credits this semester (since its my first college experience ever and also my first time moving out an moving in with someone) and take a summer class at some point? I feel like I should take 15 credits (summer is not for school!) but I don't want to overwork myself my first semester. Any advice?</p>
<p>I would like to stay a full time student, but have a part time job as well.</p>
I took 12 credits my first semester - I came into my university with a year worth of credits (30) through AP exams so I didn’t really have to worry about delaying graduation or anything so my situation is slightly different. However, I would definitely recommend a lighter first semester to “ease in” to college.
With my 12 credit course load, I was able to stay on top of my work (or even get ahead at times) while also maintaining my social life/going out with friends, spending time with my family, relaxing, etc. I finished with a 4.0 which is great because it’ll be a decent buffer for my scholarship in case I encounter complications in future semesters. 12 credits will allow you to transition into college (and all of its aspects - including extracurricular activity). It is important to note that that finals week is really hectic and it kind of came at me out of nowhere and it was overwhelming for a while so I was pretty thankful to not have an extra class to worry about on top of everything else.
Depending on how you schedule your classes, you can have an entirely free afternoon/evening in order to work longer hours if needed in your part time job/work overtime/etc.
15 per semester means graduating in 8 semesters. 12 per semester means 10 semesters. Can you afford the 2 extra semesters?
I have decided to take at least 15 credits a semester. I’m going to a CC my first year, so I’ll transfer to TX state after that.
Yeah, I think 12 is unnecessarily low in most cases. Usually there’s an add/drop period at the beginning of the semester where you can drop one of your classes without a penalty if you think you’ve scheduled too many credit hours.
I took 17 credits my first semester and came out unscathed. It depends on the load of the classes, and how many hours you’re working. You’ll mostly likely be fine at 15 credits. It’s classic for a reason!