<p>well i'm new to these forums and i'm just looking for some advice about whether or not my courseload for this year is what a four year liberal arts school is going to be looking for. i think it looks really well rounded, but i don't really know alot about the transfer process so absolutely any advice or comments would be greatly appreciated. my CC doesn't offer any majors other than liberal arts..the rest are technical majors... i either want to be a classics or philosophy major (or maybe both) when i transfer. my high school stats were just pretty average, nothing particularly great or particularly bad. alright so this is what it looks like:
1st Semester
Introduction to Philosophy
Ethics
General Chemistry 1
Religion
History of Western Civ 1
Pre-calculus 1</p>
<p>2nd Semester
General Chemistry 2
Pre-Calculus 2
Philosophy in Literature
History of Western Civ 2
Logic
British Literature 1
Honors Seminar</p>
<p>As for a language, I took a couple of years in high school so i'm pretty sure i could take an AP test and get a 4 or 5.</p>
<p>It looks like you have a heavy load of classes for each semester. Ultimately, the college you transfer to will look at your grades and the courses you have completed for your major. I don't think it matters when you take your courses and with what. The colleges are interested in seeing that you've completed minimum reqs and your major requirements when it comes time to transfer in addition to maintaing a good gpa. Although some colleges are picky about when certain courses need to be completed.</p>
<p>Transferring from a community college myself, I recommend concentrating on quality not quantity. If you're fresh out of high school try taking 12-15 semester units and see how it works for you. If you feel you can handle more than that then go for more units, but remember to maintain the gpa. Or consider taking up a part time job to demonstrate interest in your major. This experience can come in handy when it's time to write your personal statement. </p>
<p>I would gather as much information as I can from all the schools I will apply to if I could start all over again. It's also helpful if you visit those colleges too. Find out minimum requirements from each school for transfer students and your lower division major requirements. See a counselor specializing in transfer procedures. He or she may help you plan out your schedule according to your major. You may not want to trust everything the counselor says. Sometimes they may hang on to outdated information. Double check the counselor's info with the transfer college or their course catalog.</p>
<p>If each college requires a personal statement then start planning what to write about. Edit, edit, and edit. I must have revised my essay like 6 times, and that was only one essay. I say Summer is the best time to work on them. Trust me, you don't want to work on your personal statements when you have exams coming up near the application deadlines (ok, this is coming from someone who doesn't like to write). Also, find out about financial aid/scholarships early if you need it. Find out what you need to fill out and when to file them. </p>
<p>The transfer process can be overwhelming. But if you plan early, and complete things little by little (and not procrastinate like I did) you'll feel better about your progress and have more hair than I do after you transfer :) Good gpa, plan appropriately, and ask questions.</p>
<p>If you have confidence in your abilities then I se no problem with that schedule Iv'e had friends who had successful grades with heavier and more difficult schedules but they were really focused and did not work.</p>
<p>Chem is a dificult class, should u be taking a whole year of it as a Philo major?</p>
<p>Are there two precalc class at ur cc? Thats odd.</p>
<p>I'd recomend starting w/ 3 classes and then moving to 4. But thats just me. Also check ur teacher w/ ratemyprofessors.com </p>
<p>good luck.</p>
<p>That's way too much, in my opinion. Most people do no more than 12-15 credits, or 4-5 courses. Don't forget that you will have summers and likely winter terms to take additional courses each year if you would like to. The average community college student can finish their Associate's in two years doing it that way.</p>
<p>Also, make sure the courses you're taking are likely to transfer to four-year colleges. You definitely need to be working with a transfer counselor at your CC to plan these things.</p>
<p>"Chem is a dificult class, should u be taking a whole year of it as a Philo major?"</p>
<p>Stanford suggests for a good transfer application to take a variety of courses to be well rounded in preparation for transfer. I know it sounds weird? but this addition looks good on the application.</p>
<p>"Are there two precalc class at ur cc? Thats odd."</p>
<p>This worries me greatly. Precalculus classes on a semester-based application may not neccessarily be transferrable, however, depending on the community college, the two 'may' integrate to form one semester of calculus-required for admission i believe if not directly then indirectly. If it's possible to advance, I suggest doing so. At my CC, which is on a quarter system, first and second quarter precalculus integrate to form one whole semester of calc1(A) it is called in a sequence of math sections, labeled the CAN equivalent for transfer. you may want to discuss with your POTENTIAL COLLEGE COUNSELOR about the CAN system to learn more -assuming- you live in california. otherwise, i'm not sure its applicable, but i'm fairly certain the sequences for courseload would be similar varying from state to state the year before a transfer.</p>
<p>"I'd recomend starting w/ 3 classes and then moving to 4. But thats just me. Also check ur teacher w/ ratemyprofessors.com "</p>
<p>Right, as a personal opinion-not refuting him or anything, I suggest 4-5 courses, nothing beyond 17 units persay. especially your first semester, because i believe >12-15 units starting out is just overkill.</p>
<p>thanks for all the responses! i know it's alot...but my biggest problem in high school was that i just never bothered to challenge myself at all. i mean i know i could take less classes and be just fine...but i'm trying to avoid...doing just what's easy or necessary at this point. i've also been out of high school for a year working at menial...miserable full-time jobs that just make a person want to die lol so i know exactly how important it is that i do something else. i do think 2nd semester might be a little much especially w/the honors seminar. i might drop the literature class, i took AP British Lit in high school anyways, so i wouldn't really be reading anything new or different. but anyways, thank you all so much. you are very helpful. i will definetly go in and talk to my advisor about my schedule.</p>
<p>zemoomook,
A precalc class at my CC is 5 units and a chem class is also 5 semester units. U add that to up and include a 3 unit philo class and u get 13. </p>
<p>If it were me, i'd take at most 4 classes b/c Chem and Precalc meet for 15 hrs a week (at MY CC) and each require a ton of HW, eg doing numerous probs. Then i guess i could manage two other classes if they were both taught by easy professors and these subjects were not knew to me.</p>
<p>Most I've ever taken was 14 units, my first semester. I already have 42 and will transfer w/ 70+. I take classes in winter+summer, and take 2-4 classes during spring/fall. But i am in a different positions b/c i take all science classes, which meet up to 9 hrs weekly each and require a ton of HW time.</p>
<p>It all depends how dedicated you are to your studies.</p>
<p>I took 17 credits this past spring (1st semester), and am taking 21 credits over the summer. It's been brutal, but managable. GPA 3.8</p>
<p>at my CC things are a little diffrerent. lab chemistry is 4 credits and pre-calc is 3..as are all the others. so right now i'm taking....19units. i took honors chem in high school and i actually enjoyed it and got high marks. so i know i can handle it. i was mostly worried i wasn't doing enough, so now i'm happy lol non-trad are you planning to transfer, if so where? and what sorts of classes did you take?</p>
<p>Current School: NVCC Northern Virginia Community College</p>
<p>Target Schools: UVA, George Washington, UMD College Park, upenn's college of general studies, columbia's college of general studies.</p>
<p>College G.P.A.: 3.7~3.8
College Credits: 38 Credits (time of application)</p>
<p>Spring 2005
A ACC 211Accounting I
A ECO 201Macroeconomics
B ECO 202Microeconomics
A HIS 101 World History I
B Mth 166 Precalculus w/ Trig
17 Credits</p>
<p>Summer 2005
A PLS 135 American National Politics
A PHI 101 Intro to Philosophy I
A HIS 102 World History II
A BIO 101 General Biology I w/ Lab
A ENG 111 College Composition I
A MTH 173 Calculus with Analytical Geometry
21 Credits</p>
<p>Fall 2005 (just signed up for 22 credits)
BIO 102 General Biology II w/ Lab
ENG 112 College Composition II
HIS 251 History of Middle Eastern Civilization I
MUS 121 Music Appreciation I
PHI 220 Ethics
PLS 241 International Relations I
SPD 110 Intro to Speech</p>
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