So I know the average amount of credits is 15 per semester in order to graduate in 4 years with 120. I’m only taking 13 credits this semester but I have 3 transferred credits from another college. Do you think I should take some intro class to get to 15 credits or am I good with the 13 for this semester?
13 is fine if you are sure you can graduate in 4 years. But sincerely… you will most likely regret taking only 13 credits.
As you can swap/drop classes the first two weeks in Madison, I highly suggest you take 1 more class (3 credit preferably) and then see if you can manage it. If you can’t you can always drop it during the two weeks!
I just don’t think 13 is a good number to start out with. Your classes will mostly be intro and intro is when classes are easiest. I think it is wiser to take advantage of that opportunity as once you hit the more advanced classes, you will wish for more breaks.
Also, note that although 120 might be enough for you to graduate in 4 years, many times, you will face a scenario of taking a 4 credit class instead of 3 credit class due to gen requirements (and since although the gen request 3 credit or 5 credit, there really are no classes that are 3 or 5 -could be the gen classes for those are usually 4 credits and you are faced in a dilemma of taking 4 credit class for a 3 credit requirement, etc. etc.)
That said, there are some people who take 18 credits even when they come in with 60ish credits. I know including me (and four others) who have done this. So it is definitely possible to take more than 13 even when you have credits.
I completely disagree with just about everything @AccCreate has said. I’ll explain why.
The first semester of college is tough (and this is coming from a student with a 3.96 GPA). Most likely, you’re going to feel overwhelmed and feel way in over your head… hell, I’m going into my junior year, and I still feel like the dumbest kid in class the first week of classes every semester. You really do not want to put yourself in a situation where you’ve bitten off more than you can chew.
Besides the fact that the physical course material is going to be harder to comprehend and more advanced than you’re used to in high school, the professors are going to teach in different ways, and you’ll most likely only be in class for 12-15 hours a week.
Couple that with having your friends around you nonstop, the transition to Wisconsin drinking culture (which I would encourage you not to participate in if you don’t want to. I held out until the end of Sophomore year, and I think it has a lot to do with my academic success). You’re going to want to participate in student orgs, maybe join a club sport, or rush.
I maintain that the first semester is ALWAYS the hardest, even though the classes are the easiest. You need to learn how college works and how to succeed, and it’s easier to do that with 13 credits than with 16 or 18. Each semester, I spend less time studying, and I do continually better. I’ve become more targeted and efficient. 16 credits feels to me now what 12 credits felt to me as a freshman.
Lemme know if you have any other questions.
tl;dr: you’re fine.
@adamjr4 I do not think 16 credits is too much for a freshman. And I did inform that if it is too much that one could always drop within the two weeks and this is coming from a student who hit a 4.0 GPA first semester having a couple “advanced” courses.
Personally I do think it is very manageable for a first semester student to hit 16 credits. From 17 for first semester I might beg to differ if you are not an academic work-a-holic lover (which apparently my friends say I am).
That said, I guess everyone is different with their academic abilities. I just personally think 15-16 is the perfect number if you want to be challenged but not overloaded.
Anyways, although I will get a lot of criticism from the following biased reply, I will say this. If you are a student who can easily hit at least a 34 in the ACT (and superb GPA with lots of AP experience) and are super eager to learn (and know you are some of the most academically qualified entering student at UW-Madison), then you will not face much difficulty adjusting with 16 credits first semester. At least for me it wasn’t (35 ACT).
That said, @lnsu22 ,
I highly recommend you try 16 credits first two weeks. Drop that one class if it is too much for you. Otherwise, I highly recommend you to challenge yourself. University is a place for learning and though socializing is a vital part of the learning process, I do discourage you from being super eager for the drinking culture from first semester.
And for the extra class, if possible, I advocate for a non STEM class (so the more humanities). STEM classes usually feel a credit or two more than what it claims so it is possible that you might feel overloaded if the extra class is STEM related.
Everyone’s experience is different. For me, first semester was unarguably the easiest and I think many of my engineering friends will agree with me on such belief.
And I am sure just like adamjr4, I had made great number of friends first semester. Don’t forget, your main friends your freshman year will be those in your residential housing floor. I highly encourage you to meet them all first week there. It gets rather hard freshman year to make more friends outside your floor so get prepared to do the awkward, “Hi! I’m ***” or “Emergerd, nice drawing. Damn, are you an art major?” or anything just silly but you know, something that hits attention. And don’t be afraid to do this to the opposite gender. From my limited experience, the opposite gender on your floor are more fun to be with and are more willing to be around after friend-ing.
TL;DR: I forgot to add, everyone is different.
Some are challenged with 13 (some even 9), and some are do not feel fully challenged with 18.
However, it seems to be the general consensus (between my friends (+me) and the internet) that 15-16 credits is usually the magical number. Anything more is usually painful and anything less might be not as challenging.
I forget sometimes that not everyone is like me who is willing to take on an insane course load from freshman year with 4 science/math honors and 2 humanities in a semester. So if you feel in college that 13 is your magic number first semester, go take it. You want your GPA as high as possible freshman year as courses do get more difficult and you never know what happens down in the future.
But to know whether you can manage 13 or 16, I think it is better for you to enroll as 16 and experience it during the first two weeks. If it feels too much, drop the extra class. If you think you can manage it without the difficulties of adjusting to college, then go grab that challenge.
As much as 120 credits is the minimum for you to graduate, more likely you will want to take a bit more as there are always endless number of interesting courses you just wish to take in Madison and since the gen requirement issue is kinda tricky.
Just note though that everyone’s 13 credit is different.
There are some 13 credit courses which is impossible for freshman to tackle and 13 credits that even a middle schooler can tackle.
Personally (with my biased opinion once again), the humanities tend to be less taxing than the sciences. If your 13 credits is almost all sciences (like at least 3), then it might be challenging. If not, like I said, go try an extra 1 to 3 credit class that is in the humanities.
It is so much better to drop a class in the two weeks after trying than to never try and stay 13. You have nothing to lose with 16. You have the choice of dropping it for free in 2 weeks. However, if you start with 13, you will not have the opportunity in that 2 weeks to add on an extra class even though you want to.
Be willing to take risks and challenges. It gives you a rather satisfying experience.
Definitely add a course. As stated above you can always drop it, but you do not want to add a course after it has started.
Skip adjusting to “the drinking culture” as a reason to take fewer credits. Students with too much time on their hands may do worse because it is easy to put things off instead of learning good time management. Later courses are not harder, they are just more advanced with building on what you have learned in previous ones. Students who concentrate on the social life aspects of college do not always finish. There is plenty of time left for study with 16 credits.
Nothing wrong with having a cushion of more credits than the minimum required for your major. You are in college to get an education, not just a degree. Taking more courses now to either meet breadth requirements or prepare for courses in your major now gives you more flexibility later. You do not want to regret not having those extra 3 or 4 credits now when it comes time to graduate.
Another reason to take another class. It costs you nothing since you are already a full time student with over 12 credits. Why not take advantage of the system and get as much as you can for your tuition.
Again- have the mindset of getting an education, not just the minimum for a degree. The extra knowledge gained could help you professionally or personally. Include fun courses for your own personal gain- eg art history, symphony or any number of interesting courses that have nothing to do with your major. Decades later they will enhance your life- such as going to a concert, a museum or just being a more interesting person.
Thank you so much for your responses! I should’ve mentioned that I’m taking Math 221, Chem 103, Interegr 102, and EPD 155 which is a Comm A course for engineering. I’m in a FIG and I wanted to take some fun classes like dance or the orchestra but it kept conflicting with the FIG so I wasn’t able to. Thanks again for the responses!
Definitely add that fun class to your schedule. It will be a break from all of the math/science.