This fall I will be an incoming freshman majoring in Biology and Minoring in Japanese. I need to decide if I am going to take 16 or 17 credits my first semester.
This would be the 17 credit schedule:
•General Chem with Lab - 4 credits
•Calculus I - 4 credits
•Composition I - 3 credits
•Japanese language and Culture I - 3 credits
•Freshman Seminar - 3 credits (I heard this is a joke where you learn how to schedule classes and learn what it takes to earn a degree)
This is the 16 credit schedule:
•General Chem with Lab - 4 credits
•Calculus I - 4 credits
•Composition I - 3 credits
•Freshman Seminar - 3 credits
•Economic issues - 2 credits (general education course)
Which schedule should I take for my first semester of college?
Starting college is stressful enough, take the first semester to acclimate yourself (aka 16 units schedule) to college life/academics.
So basically…should you take Japanese (3 credits) or Economics (2 credits)? That really simplifies things lol. Are they both required classes for your majors? If one is not, that’s the one I would eliminate. If they both are, its a toss but I think its easier to take more credits the first two years with several 100 level classes than it is later so my vote is for 17 credits. FWIW, my D has taken 18 credits in all of her first four semesters. She does not play sports though and works only about 10-12 hours/week so those are variables to be considered as well.
I took 17 units my first semester of freshmen year. I’m a biochemistry major on a pre-med track. It was General Chemistry, Calculus, General Biology, an English Class, and a foreign language. Was it hard? Yeah, it almost kicked my butt, however, it’s typical of a pre-med student or science major. I would take the second schedule if you can. College is a balancing act. This will most likely be the first time you’ve been away from home for awhile, and it is an entirely different world.
In my years as a faculty advisor, I have seen students who are capable of handling 16 or more credits in their first semester and some who need a light first semester to acclimate. It is hard to tell beforehand but you should be able to figure this out in the first few weeks of class when you can still drop a course with out consequences.
I took more than 18 credits my first semester as a math/CS double major with a music/dance double minor. Consisted of Linear Algebra, Data Structures, First Year Seminar (writing intensive class), Intro required music course (was a joke), a dance technique class (more work than you would think), and then music lessons/ensembles. It was hard, but I’ve actually taken harder course loads every semester since (including increasing credits) and done fine.
I think you probably would be fine with the first schedule, but I would watch the drop deadline and lighten your load if needed. The one thing I would be worried about is that language courses are notorious for being way more work than the amount of credits would suggest.
For English speakers, Japanese language usually takes a fairly long sequence of courses to reach proficiency; if you do not take Japanese 1 in the fall, will you be able to complete the desired sequence of courses by the time you graduate?
If you already have some knowledge of Japanese language, you may want check with the department about correct placement in Japanese language courses.
Of you want to minor in Japanese, the only way for you to do it would be to take Japanese 1 Fall freshman year.
Are you sure your freshman seminar is 3 credits?
3-credit seminars tend NOT to be methods/easy A, as those tend to be 1 or 2-credits worth.