<p>Hey guys. I'm going to a liberal arts college next year (freshman) and looking at the core curriculum as well as overall credit requirements for majors and stuff, I'm trying to figure out how many classes I can take/should take every semester.</p>
<p>I assume most of you are on a system where classes are either 3 or 4 credit hours, or whatever the equivalent is. (the point is, the same ratio)</p>
<p>How many classes is it reasonable to take every semester for a social science/humanities major? I can't see how I would fit any less than 5 in most semesters in order to fulfill my requirements and allow me to take the classes I want. Also, comparatively how much more work is there in a 4-hour course compared to a 3-hour course?</p>
<p>I really can't gauge how much work it is going to be, but I want to take so many different classes that my planning is a little bit delicate. Please, some advice! Should I try to cut down on courses or even go up to 6 a semester?</p>
<p>I’m currently a freshman, potential humanities or social sciences major at an LAC, and it’s standard for students to take four academic classes (worth four credits each; usually three hours per week, not counting labs) per semester. However, from your previous posts, it looks like you’re going to Calvin, and things might work differently there, so I’d check out different department websites and see how many classes per semester they have listed in potential major plans or the like. Also, if there are any facebook groups for the class of 2013, I’d check those out if you haven’t already.</p>
<p>Look into how many credits per semester you’re allowed to take without having to pay higher tuition.</p>
<p>I’m taking 6 classes/17 credit hours this semester. It really depends on your college and your classes. As long as you know how much work the course is going to be (this is where ratemyprofessor really comes in handy, IMO) you should be fine.</p>
<p>It really depends on the credit value of the classes, but 15-18 credits is a pretty reasonable range in my book. Taking 18 credits can be challenging unless some of your credits are in stuff like PE courses.</p>
<p>4-5 3-credit courses a semester.
6, as an overload, would be okay if the rest of your course load wasn’t difficult. I’ve seen people do it but they didn’t have intensive majors.</p>
<p>Also, if you want to overload, then I’m assuming you’d have to get approval from your major department and/or Dean’s office so it’s not as easy as 1,2, 3.</p>
<p>It depends on what your classes are. There were semesters where I would just do 12 and others I would do 17. You should probably go 12-14 your first semester so you can get a feel for the workload at your school.</p>
<p>don’t be fooled by the 3 and 4 credit hr difference in classes. at my university, the school i’m in offers mostly 3 credit courses while the liberal arts college offers 4 credit courses. i’ve taken classes in both and there is no difference to be honest. i think has something to do with accreditation or something to that nature. i’m not entirely sure. anyways the other thing to think about is that each school is different in the amount of course load each student has. at my school most students take 4-5 classes. no one is allowed to take more than 17 creds without permission. i’m taking 19 credits (6 classes). last semester was the first time i did it and it was hectic, but this semester it’s alot easier to handle simply because i’m not working so many jobs on the side. my friend at his engineering school takes 7-8 courses a semester and the norm at his school is to take 6 courses a semester in order to graduate on time with a Bachelors of Engineering (which apparently requires more credits than a BS or BA and is rarely offered if at all nowadays). Point is, you’d really have to ask students at your school what the normal course load is. You can also try asking the Dean of the school you’ll be attending by shooting him an e-mail or calling his office if you can.</p>
<p>HisGraceFillsMe, i used to think that was the case but i’ve taken 3 credit and 4 credit courses both of which meet 2.5 hrs a week total. each school is different is my guess. in your school are credit hrs equal to the amount of time the class meets per week?</p>
<p>I had 1 six credit course, 1 five credit course, 1 three credit course, and 2 one credit courses my first semester.</p>
<p>This semester, I have 1 six credit course and 4 three credit courses.</p>
<p>There really isn’t much of a difference in work between a 5/6 credit course and a 3 credit course. The only difference is that you have class for more hours, but the work is usually the same.</p>
<p>i’m taking 6 3rd year engineering courses right now and i’m absolutely miserable. first year courses 6 probably would be fine. Wouldn’t do any more, though.</p>
<p>Your first semester should be no more than sixteen. Just try to get used to it and see how well you do with a less rigid class and study schedule before you go crazy with classes.</p>
<p>Supposedly it also has to do with an estimate of how much work you’ll supposedly do outside of class. I have one class that is three credits, but it only meets for an hour and fifteen minutes a week. The assumption behind it is that the work outside of class should total about 6 hours or so per week, but that’s kind of crap because the modules and quiz maybe take me 3 hours tops. Basically, credit standards will vary</p>