Is 18 credit hours too much?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Alabama
1

I’m going to be a freshman in the fall, majoring in biology, and I just got back from my Bama Bound orientation. While I was there I heard over and over again that I should probably take 15 credit hours max so that I’ll have time to adjust to college life and to get involved on campus. That being said I still signed up for 18 hours because I thought that it’d be much easier to drop than add, and I could always drop a class the first week if it seemed like too much. I’m still hearing from people that 18 credit hours is a very bad idea for freshmen first semester, and I was hoping to get some insight to whether I should drop a class or not.

These are my classes as of now; if I drop one it will probably be Genes and Disease (UH 120)

BSC 114⠀⠀⠀Principles Of Biology I⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ 3 credit hours
BSC 115⠀⠀⠀Laboratory Biology I⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀1
CBH 101⠀⠀⠀Computer Based Honors⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀3
CH 101⠀⠀⠀⠀General Chemistry⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀4
UH 101⠀⠀⠀⠀Survey: HYO Moral Forum⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀3
UH 120⠀⠀⠀⠀HnExpl: Genes and Disease⠀⠀⠀⠀3

Also, having 18 credits, I can’t add any more classes, and I still need to add Outdoor Action; how hard is it to override that? I’ve already contacted them via email, and I have yet to hear a response. I’m really hoping it won’t be a problem :slight_smile:

2

All of your classes will be fairly time consuming. I would suggest dropping CH 101 or UH 101.

3

I don’t know if 18 credits is too much if there are “easy” classes in the mix, but I would never suggest to take Chemistry and Biology (two science lab classes) at the same time. I would suggest dropping Chemistry. If you want more than the 14 hours resulting, taking a fun class. My son took a history of film class his freshman fall year (not sure class number or credits received). It met once a week at night in a big room with about 300 students, and the class used their clickers for attendance and to answer questions about the films or film clips they watched. My son said the weekly writing assignment was a paragraph or page and not hard (at least with the teacher he had last year.) Or since you are in the honors house, take one of the freshman honors classes that might interest you. Another son his freshman year took a class where they met at and discussed different areas of the campus and Tuscaloosa. (This was four years ago so I don’t remember particulars.) Roll Tide!

4

Computer Based Honors is a 4 credit class, not 3.

5

My son started freshman year registered for 18 credits and was able to get an override for Outdoor Action without much issue. He did have to explain that the majority of the class was completed over the summer since his advisor was new and not familiar with it.

However he found that a couple of his classes had a lot of required homework and what he considered ‘busy work’ and wound up feeling overwhelmed and decided to drop a class after they started.

It depends on a lot of factors - how focused you are on your courses, how much work the classes will require outside of class, and how many other commitments and activities you have outside of class.

6

As usually happens the answer to your question depends more on you than anything else.

I agree that 15 is a better number for most students during their first semester in college, but it can be done with good time management. DS took 18 hours his first semester including Million Dollar Band which is a huge time commitment and he did fine by ensuring that he was maximizing available hours.

With that said, he also spoke of the time crunch that many of his friends in CBHP experienced at the end of the first semester completing their projects by the due date during finals. So if you aren’t at the top of your game you might find yourself struggling to handle your current schedule. Considering that you really don’t know what to expect it is always better to be safe to protect your GPA and sanity. Of course I gave DS the same advice and was completely ignored :slight_smile:

7

Hi @iceboxesrock ! Fellow CBHer here, just finished my freshman year.

As MemphisGuy said, there are many people who struggle with completing the final project, but it was a range of people, not necessarily dependent on the difficulty of their schedule. If you make sure to stay on top of the material and complete the project in the chunks Darren gives you, it will he challenging but you WILL finish. Don’t let the project deter you from taking the classes you want to take.

That said, you may want to consider dropping one of the UH classes (since they won’t fulfill any prereqs and you will have lots of HC courses from CBH). But you know yourself better than any of us. Are you the kind of person who thrives under a little bit of pressure? Or would you feel more comfortable knowing you can handle the work of first semester? I, for one, knew I was the first type, and have taken 18 hours both semesters. I really enjoyed the UH courses I took (one about Palestine and one about the Roosevelts) and neither was very difficult.

If you would like any more advice about anything, please don’t hesitate to message me. I love to help incoming freshman but especially fellow CBHers!

8

I think you need to know yourself. Have you ever taken college classes before? Are you used to the pace of semester courses?

Our ds took 18 hrs courses his first semester w/o any problems. BUT, he had been dual enrolling at universities for 7-9 math/science credit hours per semester for a couple of yrs and took those on top of 5-6 heavy workload high school courses. He was used to the pace and a very heavy workload.

His sister, who is actually a stronger student than he is, would never do well taking an equivalent load. Why? B/c she doesn’t cope with stress the same way he does; she needs way more sleep than he does; she likes lots of down time; he likes to be busy every single minute; stress wears her out and stress energizes him.

There is not a right answer. There is only a “you” answer. If you think you can handle it, you can always start with the 18 and drop before the drop date if you decide after seeing the syllabus and workload that it is too much. Don’t feel boxed into having to take 18, b/c it is unnecessary to take that many hrs your first semester.

9

The reason I’m taking both chem and bio in the same semester is that I’m pre-med, so I’m just following the suggested schedule for taking those science classes; I’ve already taken AP Bio and AP Chem, so I’m hoping that will make me a little more prepared for them. I’ve fulfilled most of my required credits through APs, but I’m still in need of a humanities class, which is why I signed up for UH 101 (it counts as a humanities). And of course I’m going to take the CBH class-- which is 4 credit hours; sorry for that typo. I think all of those classes are pretty set in stone for me.

The one that really isn’t fulfilling any credits is UH 120, which I was going to take more for fun than for credit; it’s also the one I will drop if I need to. I would also be good with switching it out if there’s a fun “easier” class. I’m open to any suggestions! Since I love to garden (and teach kids how to garden), I was considering taking the HnExpl:Let’s Grow! instead. I’m not quite sure how big of a commitment it is, but I hear that one morning a week I’d get to go to a local school and help kids with their school garden and teach them about fresh food.

And most of you said that it definitely depends on the person, and I’m the kind of person who is way more productive when I’m extremely busy. I took 6 AP classes last year + 1 regular class, and managed a good amount of extracurriculars, and still ended with a 4.0. I know college classes are going to be harder and require more time for studying, so I’m just trying to plan my classes accordingly-- if that means taking 15 credit hours instead of 18, I definitely will.

10

Excuse my ignorance, but if you take AP Bio and Chem, then why do you have to take them again?

11

@aeromom, if the student is pre-med, I think they generally recommend repeating the med-school required classes, as I don’t think all med schools will accept AP credits for those things. Maybe the OP is pre-med (or wanting to keep that option open)?

12

Of all the semesters you’ll be in school, I would suggest making your first a little easier on you. You’re going to an entirely different environment, away from home, around a lot of distractions. You’re getting used to new people, new food, new schedule, new room…it’s a LOT…more than you think. Plus studying for college is different than studying in high school, although you might think it’s the same. My worst semester in school was my first. Make it a little easier on yourself and take 15. But don’t do what an advisor suggested for my daughter and only take 12!!

13

Students dropped like flies from my son’s CH 101 and CH 102 classes (mostly because they did not manage their time and would fail to turn in labs on time, and once three labs are not turned in, a student is dropped from the class.) My son knew at least two students who had to make appeals to remain students and keep their scholarships because once they were dropped from the Chem classes, they were no longer taking full time schedules. One of these students was a pre-med student with a similar schedule as yours, and he had already dropped the Bio class, and then once he was forced out of Chem, he was dealing with a very difficult situation (ended up working it out, though, and he was allowed to finish the semester.)

You sound like a very motivated, successful student, and that will serve you well, but remember you are also making a huge transition here. Moving away from the familiar, off to college, to live with people with whom you’ve never lived, and depending on food you soon wish you did not have to eat, and trying to sleep while the walls shake (even in the suites - I highly recommend a white noise machine), and trying to stay healthy while people all around you are sick. Anyway, your first semester is going to be exciting but like nothing you have probably ever done before in your life. Don’t unnecessarily burden yourself your first semester.

I agree that the UH 120 class sounds great. I recently encouraged my son, who is heading back for his second year, to sign up for the class just to give him an opportunity to get outside, work with his hands, have some fun mentoring little kids. He had a great time participating in the Impact America tax prep project last semester (and it was extremely time intensive, as it turned out.) However, he declined my suggestion because the UH 120 class is going to take more time than he has this upcoming semester. It requires three hours a week, either an 8-11 shift or an 11-2 shift, one day a week, off campus, and you have to provide your own transportation. It’s not just showing up to work out in the dirt with the kids. You will be preparing and delivering lessons, and completing written journals. It is going to take some time. UH 120 is offered in both the fall and spring semesters, so you could always sign up later.

Best of luck to you!

14

No way should a premed take that many credits for fall frosh semester.

Drop one of the UH classes.

And, yes, CBH for frosh year is four credits per semester.

@aeromom as a premed he has two options to be acceptable to med schools. He can either retake the Bio and Chem classes, or he has to replace them with HIGHER level bio and chem classes to fulfil the med school req’ts of one year of bio with lab and one year of chem with lab.

this is often misunderstood. The one year of bio with lab and one year of chem with lab do not have to bo Principals of Bio and Gen Chem. They can be HIGHER bio and chem classes with labs.

15

My son is preparing for BB this week and he’s also in CBH. DS is considering CS or EE, which according to DegreeWorks is 15 cr (Fall) and 14 cr (Spring). Adding in CBH, that’s another 4 totaling 19 cr (Fall) and 18 cr (Spring). He’s supremely confident but this concerns me.

Do the Engineering CBHers routinely take 19+ credit hours/semester? Does this allow them enough time to have a life? What’s the reasonable upper limit here?

(I spent 4 years studying just about every moment at a tough private school back east, and although I learned a lot, it nearly killed me. I do not want this for my son)

16

What are the other 15 credit hours for fall that he will select? Because the answer to your question lies somewhat in what the courses are and what kind of student you have. It is better to drop a course if need be than to underachieve, imo. People who set high goals for themselves usually achieve them. Also, taking a strong load first year eng’g sets one up for handling the harder subsequent years. Others will disagree with me on that. There is nothing you can’t do if it is within your ability and your motivation to do so. I would be more worried with the CBH than the EE/CS courseload, in terms of time and ‘having a life’.

17

@WashJohnGalt Can some of those first semester classes be avoided with AP credits? I am a sophomore CBHer, and although some of my engineering friends handled 17-18 hour semesters it can make it hard to explore other activities outside of class and CBH. There are some CBHers who handle legendary courseloads (my mentor last year being among them) but there are more important things to focus on first semester, in my opinion.

Feel free to message me if you have any other CBH-related qiestions.

18

<<<
Do the Engineering CBHers routinely take 19+ credit hours/semester?


[QUOTE=""]

[/QUOTE]

No!

Typically, CBH students come in with AP credits so they’re able to easily fit the CBH classes. My CBH son onlyt took 14 credits his Fall frosh year…we wanted him to have an easier first semester for adjustment

What AP credits does your son have?

What is his major?

What is he considering taking this fall

19

He’s very smart, 4.0 with a rigorous HS course load. He has a somewhere around 60 AP credits (+/- 5 as we wait for this year’s AP scores), though only about 1/2 to 2/3 seem like they would apply to engineering majors.

He has dreams of a EE/CS double major. I’m not sure if this should be applauded or condemned as insane. Though the deans we met with last year seemed to intimate that it might be possible. Looking at the curriculums more cautiously, I don’t know, it may come down to if they would double count upper level major electives. But is it sensible.

I’ve advised him to consider the university scholars program as a way to leverage his AP credits and Presidential scholarship (missed NM by 1 or 2) so 4 yr scholarship.

Here’s my tenative plan:
Fall                                                              Spring
MATH 227 (Calc III)                                    MATH 238 or 301
ENGR 111                                                  ENGR 103
CS100                                                        CS 101
CBH 101                                                    CBH 102
GBA 171                                                    GBA ###

He would like to add:
Fall                                                              Spring
PH 106 or MATH 238 (DiffQ)                      PH 253 or MATH 301 (Discrete)

I’m worried on 2 fronts: Brand new environment where he can’t even know how much he doesn’t know about college life & taking sophomore level classes as part of a large course load.

20

Believe me…there are a lot of “very smart 4.0” high stats kids in CBH (probably nearly all of them). That doesn’t mean that it’s ok to take 18+ credits as a fall frosh …as an eng’g major(s) with CBH.

He has NO NEED to add DiffEQ I or Physics as a fall frosh. NONE.

Both of my kids started in engineering. S1 changed to math (his strength) and the S2 continued in Eng’g in ChemE. They both came in with lots of AP credits. This gave them options…did some minors, took some classes for interest, etc.

My CBH son only took 14 credits his first semester. I don’t remember how many credits my S2 took fall semester, but I do know that he tweaked his schedule shortly before classes started (w/o my knowledge) and his schedule was much more difficult than it should have been. He took Organic Chem and Cell Biology along with frosh eng’g class (there was only one then), Calc III and Spanish. Since he was also premed, he knew that his GPA was important so he sacrificed a LOT that semester to get a 4.0. In hindsight, he wishes that he had either delayed Orgo or Cell Bio (both of those courses only had upperclassmen in the class!). I think one saving grace was that his roommates in his super-suite were his high school friends, who were also top students. Having close friends (who get along well!) as suite-mates, lessened the adjustment aspect.


[QUOTE=""]
He has a somewhere around 60 AP credits (+/- 5 as we wait for this year's AP scores), though only about 1/2 to 2/3 seem like they would apply to engineering majors. <<<

[/QUOTE]

That’s typical for everyone, but even more so for eng’g majors. Typically many of the AP various history credits just sit on the transcripts. Sometimes the bio credits just sit there as well unless the eng’g student is ChemE (or maybe also another E discipline that requires Bio).

I’m guessing that your son is coming in with AP English credits. That alone helps his first year…not only with space in his schedule, but in time saved from all the essay writes and rewrites.

I’ve forgotten what GBA is…please refresh my old memory. :wink: Is that for STEM to MBA?

You are right to be concerned on both fronts…there are a lot of adjustments fall frosh year. Parents aren’t around to kind of help keep all the plates in the air. Roommates can be a distraction. Kids tend to stay up even later than they did at home.

Many kids who routinely attended Zero Period classes (starting at 7 or 7:30 am) in high school, suddenly start missing 8 am classes in college. Only natural early risers should take 8am classes fall frosh year.

At some point, try to get your son to take Philosophy Deductive Logic. It’s beneficial for all STEM students, but really it’s good for anyone in any career.

As for being an EE/CS double major… I would think that it would be just as beneficial to be an EE major with either a CS minor or just some extra CS classes on the transcript. Adding CS as a major will not likely make him more marketable. Someone with an EE degree with extra CS classes would also be appealing to employers (I have two brothers who went that route…EE with extra CS classes. One went on to get a masters in Software Eng’g, and the other got a masters in CS. They’ve been amazingly successful. One recently retired as a VP of DirecTV and the other is high exec for Canon USA.