Good evening, users 
I just want to read the opinions you post.
How many classes were you able to handle during you’re college days? Did you pile up 6 courses in one semester and manage to pass or did you take one course at a time to give yourself some time to learn the material while working.
Thanks,
Attended a UC on the quarter system - Bio major. I took 4 courses plus labs each quarter. I think my last quarter was 12 units (3 courses).
3 Courses can be okay to handle and working 20 hours a week.
6 courses it’s near impossible if there 5 days a week no room for 40 hour to work per a week.
Not sure where you are seeing 6 courses recommended.
Could you please explain why you are asking this question?
I’m saying if a person takes 6 classes in one semester they will be burned out easily and won’t have time to work
I was a full time student. 5 courses/semester but only worked full time in the summer.
Course load is going to be much different for a married adult working 20+ hours/week. And also very individual based on ability, finances, and other responsibilities.
Comparing to others isn’t helpful. You do what you need to do to successfully graduate and help support your family.
It depends on the courses. I was a Classics major and took lots of history, philosophy, etc. You could have a thousand pages of reading every week- per class- plus research papers, translations, etc. due periodically. 6 courses would have been impossible.
But I had a roommate who was in the combined BA/MD program and she took 6 courses for a couple of semesters. Only one had a research paper- the rest were just a midterm and a final. She had exceptional work habits and managed although she didn’t need much sleep.
YMMV. Agree with Thumper- you need to figure out what you can handle to get to graduation!
I took 18 credits most semesters for civil engineering, but 3 were always piano lessons. So 5 real courses, though I did have to practice. I didn’t really work during that time, except a couple of music accompanying gigs
My final semester, I only needed 6 credits, so I worked at a local engineering firm MWF 8-5 and TTh 1-5. Both my classes were Tuesday morning. I was also wedding planning, prepping for the FE/EIT, and getting ready to move to a new city. Just a little bit of stress, lol. The classes were the easy part.
Says who? It depends on the courses, number of credits per course, but most important, the student’s ability to time manage.
It is very possible to take 6 classes in a term, and work 12-15 hours a week.
It is not just about the # of classes, but the time required for each class. I was on the quarter system, a Microbiology major and many of my classes had labs which were 3 hour blocks twice a week with a 1 hour lecture 2 times a week. I completely agree about time management. Only you know what you are capable of handling and a quarter system vs a semester system will also have an impact.
I think figuring out your own personal rhythm and capacity is an important part of college. Some people thrive on being pushed to the max; some people thrive on a more measured pace. No value judgement- people are wired differently. When my kids were young I found certain periods at work extremely stressful- now I laugh them off because I don’t have the conflicting demands of getting dinner on the table, laundry, groceries, etc. As an empty nester you can do your household chores when you get around to it; I’m not packing school lunches at midnight.
OP- find a pace which works for you.
I had the healthiest lifestyle, for me, when I was in graduate school. This was at a university that was on the quarter system.
Every quarter I started off with 6 or 7 classes. However, in every case I dropped back to 5 classes by the end of the second week. Then I made a very strong effort to stay ahead in all classes. I attended every class and always sat near the front. I kept way ahead in my homework. I started homework the day that it was assigned. I did homework on Saturdays and Sundays (and every other day). I took most (perhaps all?) Friday evenings and Saturday evenings off to relax a bit (but the next day was back to studying by mid day). I was nearly totally focused on studying and did not hold a job. The most important thing was that I wanted to do it and I knew why I wanted to do it. I was motivated. To me this reduces the stress a LOT. Sometimes keeping caught up is less stressful than worrying about why you are not caught up.
As an undergraduate student I was much less consistent. I fell behind and had to take 6 courses at a time (at MIT) my last semester. I passed all of them (with 3 A’s and two B’s and something else I do not want to talk about, in the 6 classes), but it was brutal. I would never want to do that again, and have never done it again.
I think that every student needs to find the right pace for themselves. I for example have noticed that my two daughters vary quite a bit in terms of what the right pace for them is. One is better with fewer classes (4 or 5) but does really well in them. The other can take on more work and overload themselves and still manages to do well (but some B’s do happen, and some C’s have been pulled up to a B or B- only just at the end).
Exactly. We are all a bit different.
And B’s and C’s get degrees. (A’s do also, but don’t rhyme).
Cool that you continued to play piano. I thought I would but bailed. I still kind of regret that.
Different colleges have classes of different “size” (credit unit value). Most colleges use a semester-hour or quarter-hour system, with 120-128 semester-hour credits or 180-192 quarter-hour credits to graduate with a bachelor’s degree (1 semester hour = 1.5 quarter hour).
For example, at a college where most classes are 3 credits each, the norm may be to take 5 classes per term for 15 credits per term. But at a college where most classes are 4 credits each, the norm may be to take 4 classes per term for 16 credits per term. Some colleges have a mix of credit values of courses.
1 credit is supposed to represent 3 hours of work per week, including in-class and out-of-class time. However, it is often the case that classes of the same credit value have different workloads. Classes with labs, art studio or performance, computer programming assignments, or large term projects can be substantially more workload than others. If you are not a fast reader, humanities classes with large volumes of reading can take up a lot of time.
5 courses I took
Mon, Wed 11 am - 1:45 pm and 2 pm - 4:45 and 6 pm - 8:45 pm
Tue 11:45 am - 1:45 pm
Thur 11 am - 1:145 pm
Sat 9 am - 3 pm
Fri & Sun was studying and doing labs, exams, quizzes, essays and relearning organic chemistry again. That’s a intense schedule all 4 courses had labs and one did not.
@napnemeanix that is a schedule where working might not be comparable. But I thought you didn’t Have to work.
I have not run into a financial crisis’s yet so. next semester I am taking 8 courses and see how I can fit 24 credit hours max and I can be officially done.
I’m going to go on the record as saying…I think this is too much. I know you want to finish…but you don’t want to finish with poor grades…or have to drop a course.
I have all A’s and B’s at the moment. I can handle it