So I know this has been discussed a lot, and at length, and I know it’s a little early to be trying to figure this all out, but I like to plan ahead. I will be entering college in fall quarter of this year as a freshman at UCSD as a human biology major (I will be in Thurgood Marshall college). I was looking through my GE and major requirements, and I figured that taking DOC 1, general Chem 6a, and math 10a my first quarter wouldn’t be too big of a load since it’s only 3 classes and 12 units. However, my sister is going on and on about how a science class and calculus at the same time my freshman year is a big mistake and how I will fail, etc., so I wanted some opinions of current UCSD students. Is it too much?
Also, just to note, I consider myself a pre-med, just for argument’s sake, but I’m not sure if I want to get into research, go to medical school, go to dentistry school, optometry, or PA school yet. I want to keep my options open, so I plan on joining clubs and volunteering/shadowing physicians in order to pad my application to whatever school I decide to go to after my undergrad. I do have prior chemistry and AP calculus experience btw. Thank you so much for reading through the long rant, you guys are awesome!
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated 
Also, just to clarify, by “too much” I mean should I take other GE classes instead of chem or calc. Thanks!
My daughter found the chem 6a relatively easy because she had AP Chem. She took math 20c and that was a shock for her, possibly because the guy had an accent. But 3 classes is pretty reasonable for first quarter.
Thank you @DrGoogle , that’s good to know
I’m a first year right now; 12 units, regardless of the classes, should be pretty manageable. If you like to plan ahead, http://plans.ucsd.edu is probably gonna be hella useful. Academic Advising also sends out personalized class recommendations sometime in the summer, so don’t worry about it too much!
Wow, that link is awesome @groverrohan ! Thanks!
Taking chemistry and calculus together in your first quarter is pretty standard for biology majors. If you don’t already have credit for it, I would actually recommend taking BILD in addition to those courses, or if you already have credit for BILD or don’t want to add another science class, then I would add in a GE (you can pick something easy, if you’re worried about it being too much). Taking 16 classes is pretty standard, and you can always drop a class by the end of week 4 if you find that its too much work.
I’d say sign up for another GE class and make it 16 units, if you end up finding it too much, you can always drop it with no penalty (i.e. won’t show on your transcript) until the end of week 4.
I took 16 units my first quarter at UCSD, I’d say the key to surviving your 1st quarter at UCSD is to keep up with your assignments and readings. Assignments may be assigned early and not due until weeks later, but if you start last minute you’re going to find yourself in a lot of stress. For DOC, keep up with your readings. There are assigned readings for every lecture (3 lectures/week), and it’s important to actually do your readings because they are going to appear on your exams/papers. Good luck!