W&M's Course load

<p>I've heard that the course load at W&M is VERY difficult to handle. Current students- is this true and about how many hours a day do you spend working or studying?</p>

<p>It is not horribly difficult to handle the course load, but it is a challenge. W&M has easy classes and easy professors as well as hard ones, like any other place. I will say that it’s relatively easy to get a B in most classes, besides intro to Physics, Chem, Orgo, etc, since those are the “survival of the fittest” classes among Pre Med students and it’s like that everywhere. Getting an A at W&M in most classes on average will take some dedicated work. </p>

<p>I studied with the flow when I was there, maybe three hours a day on average from my memory… That doesn’t sound like I was a book worm every day and night… Students have lives here like almost everywhere else.</p>

<p>If you come in with credits, it makes it easier, since you can take fewer than 15 credits some semesters. I took 24 total credits my Sophomore year (12, 12), and the work load was pretty light, as you might imagine. Taking more than 15-16 credits is where things start to get really ugly, though, no matter what kind of classes you are taking. Avoid situations like that.</p>

<p>My wife and I (both W&M alums, Class of '83) were in Williamsburg this weekend for the holiday and to see our son, a junior at W&M. We had lunch with him and one of his buddies and the buddy’s GF. His friend was telling us about his insane work level this semester and commented that taking 20 credits was a mistake. He did it because there were some courses he wanted to take that would not be offered again before he graduates. </p>

<p>Although my experience is 25-30 years old, I remember that most students who, for whatever reason, took more than 16 credits regretted it. For most of us, 15 or 16 was normal - five three-credit courses or five three-credits plus a one-credit or some combination of lab courses that were four credits. There were no AP credits in those dark ages, so dropping down to 12 for a semester was less common, as you had to do some summer school or transfer credits to make up for the underload.</p>

<p>Really, don’t worry about it - it is doable.</p>

<p>K9Leader, my mom graduated in '83. Do you knoe Renee Goode?</p>

<p>I recommend taking 4-5 classes… roughly 15 credits.</p>

<p>A lot of W&M students come in with some credits.
A lot of W&M students take 4 “real” classes and 1 “fun” class (which might be anywhere from 1-3 credits)
Some W&M students load up on 18 or more. Then sometimes they complain that they always have stuff due. Duh, that’s what happens when you take more classes. I took 18 one semester. It wasn’t nearly as much fun taking 18 as it was taking 12.</p>

<p>Be smart about it… if you don’t want to read 1 book a week, don’t sign up for a class with that kind of reading list.</p>

<p>I have never taken less than 18 credits in a semester. I’m taking 20 at the moment, because I wanted to get my GERs over with. I have way too much work to do and my grades are suffering. How difficult it is really depends on what classes you’re taking. Last spring, I took 19, did very little work, and still got a respectable GPA.</p>

<p>Are you trying to graduate early?</p>