On July 21 2010 16:01 TheKing. wrote: I had the same question. I am going to be a freshman this year and i am taking about 15 credit hours. I think this a little above the normal but i really have no idea.
Semester or quarter schedule? Either way, 15 sounds pretty close to normal.
On July 21 2010 13:28 il0seonpurpose wrote: Edit: I signed up for spanish 201 but I passed the AP test, so I might be able to get out of it? That took up a lot of space, and I might drop astronomy
Depends entirely on your university (and quite possibly even the specific department), you'll have to check with them. Some barely accept any AP credit, others you can get out of tons of things with it.
On July 21 2010 13:28 il0seonpurpose wrote: So how did you all manage your freshmen year in college? How many classes did you all take, and how many do you recommend? I just got my schedule for freshman year, its not set in stone but nothing won't change unless I ask for it. Orientation isn't until later, which is good if I want to cancel a class or something. I'm taking 7 classes (one is some freshman seminar thing), and I have no days off. I've always heard that you should take classes that are interesting in college, so I signed up for some that I have no idea about, like astronomy and economics. (The latter seems more practical to take just so I'm not ignorant on such a topic, but the former also seems very interesting) Is this a good way to start college life?
Btw, I'm going to Syracuse University
Edit: I signed up for spanish 201 but I passed the AP test, so I might be able to get out of it? That took up a lot of space, and I might drop astronomy
i don't know how hard syracuse is, but do expect college to be tougher than high school. i took more than i could handle my first 2 semesters, and my gpa ate it. i was like 3.9+ unweighted in high school, and got like 3.2-3.3 my first 2 semesters partly cuz i didnt schedule my studying well enough (cramming isn't nearly as easy as in high school at berkeley), underestimated how hard the classes would be (most werent that bad - just underestimating them and not putting 100 percent effort cost me in grade), and also took too many units. definitely lightening my course load a bit next semester.
I'm a computer engineering student in the best university in our country and I took these for my first year:
English, Filipino, Math, Electronics Workshop, AutoCad, P.E...yeah, I had 6 subjects (too lazy to look at my online program of study) that's around 15 to 17 units if I'm not mistaken.
We don't really get to pick our subjects (except for PE) so it kinda sucks, but from Junior year until we graduate, we are free to pick the professors we want so in effect we are free to create our own schedule.
here is how to have a great college life: take year-round school. 3-4 classes during main semester 1-2 classes during summer term.
unless you live in a terrible place where staying around for summer in your college town is a bad idea then this is the prescription to easy school load.
On July 21 2010 21:26 omninmo wrote: here is how to have a great college life: take year-round school. 3-4 classes during main semester 1-2 classes during summer term.
unless you live in a terrible place where staying around for summer in your college town is a bad idea then this is the prescription to easy school load.
Isn't there like a rule that prevents students from overloading?
In our University, you can take a maximum of 20 units (not counting those that don't get credit) for the first and second semester (though it varies depending on the year level for some reason), and only 9 units for summer semester (which is like 3 subjects maximum).
eh, i prefer not to take summer classes and to other stuff/research during the summer
freshman year i entered taking 5 classes and ended up taking 4. will be taking 5 most semesters after now but 1 is independent study credits. don't overload yourself; if you want to challenge yourself, take really hard classes at your school, but i would really suggest not taking over 5. then again, my school doesnt have credit hours and weights by number of classes, but id say stick to < 15 credits especially for your first term
also ive heard people saying stuff like "adjusting to college is just as hard as another class." i went to school im my hometown and it was still really tough to adjust to the new standards where i could not sleep or do work in class like in high school and breeze through A's. focus and work hard (and drink and party on the side) and start with a base good gpa.
another note: the way college works (you can go to lectures and just sit through and leave without interaction etcetec) it can be difficult to make friends if you JUST take your classes. a friend of mine took five really hard classes both semesters of freshman year and didnt have time to have any fun/join any clubs/hang out or party with anyone. He now really regrets not building a wider base of friends in freshman year, and the hardest of those classes are useless because he decided on a different concentration (he was taking all the ones that were interesting to him haha).
Looking at the four year plan for a couple of majors at the university I'm going to this fall (Georgia Tech), it's about 16 credit hours per semester.
Of course if you take summer classes you can lessen that. And the first semester has a listed 2 hours wellness course (which I don't think is mandatory but it might be) that is just a freshman seminar. So really 14 hours.
edit- actually looked it up, it appears to be a mandatory health and wellness class. Still, it's not a *real* class.
UCLA has a 19 unit max (like 4-5 classes) and it is rarely exceeded. Apparently if you want to take more in a quarter 1. you're crazy and 2. they won't let you without a good reason
i took 18 credits. and always did until classes got harder in my fourth semester. then i moved down to 16. personally i just wanted to get all the bullshit out of the way fast as possible while classes were simple. now i have almost pure CS classes which owns.
Don't take 7 classes.... You might drop some because you won't be able to handle it and then it wont look good. BUT if you can do 7 and pass all of them. then good shit, but a rare case... Good luck let us know how it turns out
I cannot make a blog just yet, I was wondering how much does it cost yearly to attend a state school these days. The reason I'm asking is because I will be trying to take out a private loan and I need to know how much money will I roughly need, including housing. Any estimates?
On July 22 2010 04:45 News wrote: I cannot make a blog just yet, I was wondering how much does it cost yearly to attend a state school these days. The reason I'm asking is because I will be trying to take out a private loan and I need to know how much money will I roughly need, including housing. Any estimates?
It varies depending on where you live, which state school, etc. Check out collegeboard.com for good info on colleges. Or just tell us where you live lol. Out of state vs in state tuition is a big difference.
On July 22 2010 04:45 News wrote: I cannot make a blog just yet, I was wondering how much does it cost yearly to attend a state school these days. The reason I'm asking is because I will be trying to take out a private loan and I need to know how much money will I roughly need, including housing. Any estimates?
all schools publish this info and it varies greatly, stop being lazy and google.
As to OP and everyone else, 7 classes may be a lot it may not be depends on the school. I go to Virginia Tech and there are plenty of kids who take 6 or 7 classes (we have lots of 2 credit classes and a few 1 credit) What you really need to look at is how many credits your taking and how this compares to the max and other people at your school. For example at VT the max credits is 19 and average is around 16. So if your taking 15 or less credits thats an easy semester, 12 or 13 your a lazy shit, less then 12 you arent even full time, 17 or more is a hard semester. Over 19 they will almost never let you and if they do your crazy.
My first year in college (as a chemical engineering major) I took 5 courses with 2 labs. One of the labs almost never met, it was just a block of time meant for class field trips to process plants. Overall I had 16 credit hours.
Honestly, only take as many classes as you feel comfortable taking. 7 is a lot, but then again, this is the first semester. You're probably in introductory courses or covering subject matter you practiced well in high school (this makes the classes a TON easier than learning it for the first time).
Another thing to factor in is knowing how to study. I mentored many first year students that never had to study in high school, but then crashed and burned their first few college semesters because they didn't know any study habits. Make sure that if this is you, learn how to study.
Get involved in something fun. Don't overdo it, but college isn't all about classes; it's where you start to learn who you are as a person. Joining organizations that interest you and becoming active in its leadership give you hands-on experience that academic lectures cannot perform.
As the semester goes on you will discover if 7 classes is feasible. For almost everyone, it is not. In fact, as you become an upperclassman, I highly recommend taking less classes so you can focus on the specialized material a lot more clearly. Instead of graduating in 4 years taking 7 classes a semester I graduated in 5 because I learned the most when taking 12-15 credits a semester. It kept my sanity intact and allowed me to pursue things I enjoyed while optimizing my learning. I had a 3.19 cumm., 3.0 department, and I'm going to grad school on full scholarship with a great stipend. Don't buy into the stereotypes - you don't need to study your life away to come out of college successful.
I always LOL at people who take a shit ton of classes (brag about it) and make no money coming out of college. People really have no idea on what counts in college and what doesnt. However, if you enjoy taking classes, then I won't disparage you. Network with people and spend time in organizations to get a leg up in recruiting.
On July 22 2010 04:55 News wrote: Thx, I'm interested in UMass specifically unless you can recommend something else in this area. Instate tuition too.
Family income is also very important.
On July 22 2010 08:26 itzme_petey wrote: I always LOL at people who take a shit ton of classes (brag about it) and make no money coming out of college. People really have no idea on what counts in college and what doesnt. However, if you enjoy taking classes, then I won't disparage you. Network with people and spend time in organizations to get a leg up in recruiting.
I don't want you to think I'm bragging about this, haha.
it's good to be ambitious but be a little more realistic. college is more than just classes, and networking/social life, especially freshman year, is CRITICAL for an enjoyable college experience
EDIT: I guess workload does depend on schools, and I can't really speak for Syracuse. But if you take seven (not sure if it's even allowed) classes here at Duke, you are going to die. Either that or your GPA will.
7 classes, rofl, if that's what I think it is, good luck, you'll want to kill yourself when tests starts rolling around and your entire semester devolves into test to test to test to test to finals.
EPT
