<p>Let's just say that I'm going to redshirt and spend 5 years at college and I have a couple of AP classes that gave me credit and I want to be a teacher and just get a Bachelor's which is 4 years. How would that work out if I had less classes to take? Would I only take like 1-2 classes a semester? But that's bad because you wouldn't have full benefits such as NCAA eligibility and financial aid.</p>
<p>So let’s do some math . . . </p>
<p>Let’s say the college requires 32 classes to graduate. That means over 4 years, you take 8 a year, or 4 a semester. If you spread those classes over 5 years, you take 6.4 classes a year or at least 3 a semester. If you only took 1-2 classes a semester for 5 years, you would end up with between 8 and 16 classes. Not enough. (Obviously, I’ve ignored your AP credits here).</p>
<p>I don’t know about NCAA eligibility, but typically 3 classes is sufficient to keep your financial aid. However, most colleges require you to make “satisfactory progress” towards your degree. Different colleges define that differently . . . but I’ve seen one where you have to total at least 7 classes in any two consecutive semesters. (So, you can’t take 3 classes two semesters in a row). </p>
<p>If you are paying by the class, then I can see why you might not want to take more classes than necessary. But if you are paying by the semester, why not take 4 classes every term?</p>