2 answers
Isabella
Student
Bolingbrook, Illinois
1
Question
Asked
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How do I determine a good number of classes to take as a freshman?
How do I choose classes and number of credits. Looking to find balance between coursework and adjustment to college.
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2 answers
Amy Marie
Consultant
16
Answers
Miami, Florida
Updated
Amy’s Answer
Hi Isabella, this is a great topic to be considering now and will help set you up for success. Determining the right number of classes to take as a freshman in college involves balancing your academic goals with your ability to adjust to a new environment. I will outline some steps below for you to help you make this decision:
1. Assess Your Strengths and Challenges
> Academic Readiness: Reflect on your high school experience. Were you overloaded or handled your workload well? This can give you insight into how many credits you might successfully manage.
> Time Management Skills: Evaluate your ability to manage time effectively. College often requires more self-directed study time.
> Outside Commitments: Consider any non-academic commitments, such as part-time work, athletics, or extracurricular activities. You want to make sure you factor these commitments into your overall time.
> Adjustment Period: Allow time to adjust to living away from home, if applicable, or managing increased freedom and responsibilities.
Understand College Requirements
2. Understand your Credit Requirements & Resources:
> Credit Requirements: Typically, full-time students take between 12-15 credits per semester, equating to about 4-5 classes. This can vary by college though so be sure to check your academic guides. Check your program’s requirements for the first year to ensure you’re meeting foundational courses that might be prerequisites for advanced classes.
> Take Advantage of Advising Resources:
Meet with an academic advisor to discuss your major’s requirements, elective options, and recommended course load.
Advisors can also provide insight into which introductory courses might be more demanding and suggest a balanced schedule.
3. Choose a Balanced Schedule
> Mix of Difficulty: Select a mix of course difficulties to avoid overwhelming yourself. Consider balancing core required courses with electives you find interesting and less challenging.
> Variety of Subjects: Enroll in courses across different disciplines to fulfill general education requirements and explore new areas of interest.
> Class Format: Be mindful of the format and time of your classes (e.g., lectures, labs, seminars) and how these fit into your daily routine.
> Consider Workload: Look at the syllabi from previous semesters (often available online) to gauge the expected workload for each course.
4. Flexibility and Trial Period & Reassess
> Flexibility: Start with a slightly lighter load (e.g., 12-13 credits) if you’re unsure, then adjust in subsequent semesters based on your comfort level and performance.
> Drop/Add Period: Take advantage of the add/drop period at the beginning of the semester to adjust your schedule if you find it too demanding or too light.
> Feedback Loop: Regularly assess your stress levels and workload. Be open to adjusting future schedules based on what you learn about your capabilities and interests during your first semester.
Ultimately, you want to find a good balance that allows you to meet your academic goals while also allowing time for personal growth, social activities, and maintaining mental and physical health. Getting this balance right in your freshman year can set a positive tone for the rest of your college experience. Good luck!
1. Assess Your Strengths and Challenges
> Academic Readiness: Reflect on your high school experience. Were you overloaded or handled your workload well? This can give you insight into how many credits you might successfully manage.
> Time Management Skills: Evaluate your ability to manage time effectively. College often requires more self-directed study time.
> Outside Commitments: Consider any non-academic commitments, such as part-time work, athletics, or extracurricular activities. You want to make sure you factor these commitments into your overall time.
> Adjustment Period: Allow time to adjust to living away from home, if applicable, or managing increased freedom and responsibilities.
Understand College Requirements
2. Understand your Credit Requirements & Resources:
> Credit Requirements: Typically, full-time students take between 12-15 credits per semester, equating to about 4-5 classes. This can vary by college though so be sure to check your academic guides. Check your program’s requirements for the first year to ensure you’re meeting foundational courses that might be prerequisites for advanced classes.
> Take Advantage of Advising Resources:
Meet with an academic advisor to discuss your major’s requirements, elective options, and recommended course load.
Advisors can also provide insight into which introductory courses might be more demanding and suggest a balanced schedule.
3. Choose a Balanced Schedule
> Mix of Difficulty: Select a mix of course difficulties to avoid overwhelming yourself. Consider balancing core required courses with electives you find interesting and less challenging.
> Variety of Subjects: Enroll in courses across different disciplines to fulfill general education requirements and explore new areas of interest.
> Class Format: Be mindful of the format and time of your classes (e.g., lectures, labs, seminars) and how these fit into your daily routine.
> Consider Workload: Look at the syllabi from previous semesters (often available online) to gauge the expected workload for each course.
4. Flexibility and Trial Period & Reassess
> Flexibility: Start with a slightly lighter load (e.g., 12-13 credits) if you’re unsure, then adjust in subsequent semesters based on your comfort level and performance.
> Drop/Add Period: Take advantage of the add/drop period at the beginning of the semester to adjust your schedule if you find it too demanding or too light.
> Feedback Loop: Regularly assess your stress levels and workload. Be open to adjusting future schedules based on what you learn about your capabilities and interests during your first semester.
Ultimately, you want to find a good balance that allows you to meet your academic goals while also allowing time for personal growth, social activities, and maintaining mental and physical health. Getting this balance right in your freshman year can set a positive tone for the rest of your college experience. Good luck!
Michelle M.
Actress
2527
Answers
Updated
Michelle’s Answer
Hello, Isabella !
Since you will have already aced High School before you go to college, there is some great experience with this that you can bring to your college days as far as scheduling and choosing course mixes each semester. Once you have chosen your Major, this will be much easier to figure out as some majors require intensive study and some require intensive outside of classroom work. So your first step is to choose or know what you will be majoring in.
Think about the way your classes were in high school, the mix of classes you had and how it went for you. You certainly know what you catch on quickly to and which courses may need more time. If you will be receiving Federal Student Financial Aid, keep in mind that in general you'll need to take 12 credits or more (in general) which, again in general, is like 4 college courses and some courses can be 2 or 1 credit. Read the program for your Major and the General Education courses required at your college to help you make the selection that will be good for you.
See if your college has a Summer Session and try to take one or two courses in the summer to alleviate the load during the Fall and Spring semesters. Maybe your college offers online summer sessions, so this is something you'll need to ask the college directly. Taking one or two of the General Education courses during the summer can help get them under your belt so you can take more of your Major courses during the full semesters. Although Summer Sessions are usually short, it's, in general, usually four days a week. I did my Health Science General Ed course this way and it was really a good course and helped me design my course schedule that next semester.
Since this is an individual thing, and you'll have to take general education required courses, try to take the ones you're not interested in at first just to get them under your belt. Be aware of which courses will require more than classroom attendance, things such as lab hours, practicums, internships, and projects. Design your schedule so you'll have time for extra work outside of class. It's all going to depend on what you'll be Majoring in.
You will most likely find that acclimating to college life will flow smoothly for you. The best way is to just let it happen and not overthink it. It's a fun time, meeting new people and learning new things, things you've never heard about before, and having enormous amounts of on campus supports, activities, entertainment and resources. You will naturally start to feel social and personal growth, but it's not something to think about, it's a process so experience it step by step as it happens.
You can find out how soon you can register at your college's online website Portal. This will give you the opportunity to communicate with staff and students and you can inquire about course loads before you register and choose your courses. It would also be good to register yourself at Linked In as a student, mentioning your Major and follow your college so you will be aware of what's happening on campus. You can also follow students in your major at that college that are on Linked In.
I hope this helps and I wish you all the best and a wonderful time at college !
Since you will have already aced High School before you go to college, there is some great experience with this that you can bring to your college days as far as scheduling and choosing course mixes each semester. Once you have chosen your Major, this will be much easier to figure out as some majors require intensive study and some require intensive outside of classroom work. So your first step is to choose or know what you will be majoring in.
Think about the way your classes were in high school, the mix of classes you had and how it went for you. You certainly know what you catch on quickly to and which courses may need more time. If you will be receiving Federal Student Financial Aid, keep in mind that in general you'll need to take 12 credits or more (in general) which, again in general, is like 4 college courses and some courses can be 2 or 1 credit. Read the program for your Major and the General Education courses required at your college to help you make the selection that will be good for you.
See if your college has a Summer Session and try to take one or two courses in the summer to alleviate the load during the Fall and Spring semesters. Maybe your college offers online summer sessions, so this is something you'll need to ask the college directly. Taking one or two of the General Education courses during the summer can help get them under your belt so you can take more of your Major courses during the full semesters. Although Summer Sessions are usually short, it's, in general, usually four days a week. I did my Health Science General Ed course this way and it was really a good course and helped me design my course schedule that next semester.
Since this is an individual thing, and you'll have to take general education required courses, try to take the ones you're not interested in at first just to get them under your belt. Be aware of which courses will require more than classroom attendance, things such as lab hours, practicums, internships, and projects. Design your schedule so you'll have time for extra work outside of class. It's all going to depend on what you'll be Majoring in.
You will most likely find that acclimating to college life will flow smoothly for you. The best way is to just let it happen and not overthink it. It's a fun time, meeting new people and learning new things, things you've never heard about before, and having enormous amounts of on campus supports, activities, entertainment and resources. You will naturally start to feel social and personal growth, but it's not something to think about, it's a process so experience it step by step as it happens.
You can find out how soon you can register at your college's online website Portal. This will give you the opportunity to communicate with staff and students and you can inquire about course loads before you register and choose your courses. It would also be good to register yourself at Linked In as a student, mentioning your Major and follow your college so you will be aware of what's happening on campus. You can also follow students in your major at that college that are on Linked In.
I hope this helps and I wish you all the best and a wonderful time at college !