<p>Hey, I'm in the Honors Program and will be going to orientation soon. I was wondering what the normal load of Honors courses is for a freshman. Are the courses much harder than regular classes? Should I keep my overall load to 12 hours the first semester? I know I need to maintain a 3.4 average to stay in the program and I'm just afraid of overloading myself.</p>
<p>The limit is two classes a semester unless you ask for special permission to add another class in drop/add. Honors classes, like regular classes, vary from teacher to teacher. Usually the classes aren't necessarily harder than the regular ones, but they may be more discussion oriented or include more essay tests than a regular introductary class. There always seems to be a question of whether honors classes are easier than other classes or honors students just work harder, but I think it's the latter. The honors classes I've had have all been excellent experiences with some of the best teachers at UGA, so you'll be in for a good time. </p>
<p>That said, only you know your own academic limits. If you know you're going to be busy with greek life or partying or something else, then maybe take less of a load. If you want to get your academics started on a good note, then take a full load with a number of honors classes.</p>
<p>I also highly recommend taking an honors seminar too. They're only 1 hour, but they count as honors credit and are graded pass/fail. Some of them also have travel components to cool places, so check them out on the honors website.</p>
<p>Looked at some of those Honors Seminars, and they do look great. But do they count as 1 of the 2 maximum courses you can take??</p>
<p>Oh, and are you required to take HONS 100H your first semester??</p>
<p>Yeah you have to take HONS 1000H. It should be a good chance for you to meet people and get introduced to the ins and outs of the honors program. The Seminars do not count against the 2 course maximum, but they do count as one hour of honors credit.</p>