I was wondering how many credit hours would be alright for a freshman to take? It says in the handbook that 18 credit hours was the highest we should go. I currently have 15, but I don't want to be so overworked that I'll have difficulty keeping up.

I do have a class on my schedule that doesn't really need to be there except for the fact that I'd like to take it, so if it would be a better idea, I can drop that and stick with just 12 credit hours.

Anyone have any advice? :3

I'm just starting university this fall too, so I'm not the most knowledgeable on the subject, but personally I would definitely not do more that 15 credits/five classes. I think it would probably be better to go with 12 credits your first semester, and maybe take the optional class in the winter (if it's offered) or next fall.

I don't know how widely used it is at other schools, but at my university they let you designate one elective class per term to be graded only as satisfactory/unsatisfactory, and it won't count towards your GPA or anything. It basically lets you take the class, but it's not a big deal if you don't don't do too well in it, which might happen if you become overloaded with work from your other classes. Maybe look into whether your university has something like that? That might be your best option if they do.

Most people at my university take about 16 credits, mostly because its the same price between 12-16. As long as your major is not super intensive credit wise you should be fine where you are at. If you still have questions, you should call up your general ed adviser, or your major adviser and have them confirm that you are on track to graduate when you need to.

I'm thinking now that I might just drop that class and see how it goes my first semester and see just how loaded down I'm going to be before I go up to 15 credits. I'm sure I'll have some time to take it later if I decide to do so. :3

I'll definitely make an appointment with a counselor next week since I'm pretty sure they're closed now to see what their take would be on it. :3

Thank you guys for the advice. ^^

It depends on the school, your outside of school activities, and the courses. Generally, I've seen people do a lot better in school with only 12 credit hours. After that, they start to have a decline in their grades.

I took 18 credit hours my first semester and I had two courses really suffer because of it. I've done well with 15, which I usually take these days. The one time I only had 4 courses (12 credit hours) I got a 4.0 for the semester, great for me. :) I don't work and I only had a few clubs where I held a position in office. I didn't have much outside commitments, so it was pretty easy.

Just look at the syllabi when you get it at the start of the term. You can always drop one if it looks to be too much work.

i assume you will be taking mostly gen-ed classes? seriously, if it is your first semester of college, i'd totally recommend the minimum 12 hours (or whatever a full-time student is allowed to take at your school). it is just one semester... and the one that really counts. best just get your feet wet to see how the work-load is and what you may handle in the future.

It depends a lot on what classes they are, if you like them, and your work ethic. My first college semester, I took 17 and was bored out of my mind and hated some of them. I didn't do so well. Then again, junior year, I worked two jobs and took 21 credits two semesters straight, and got a 4.0. So really, it depends on how much time they'll take and if you'll like them. I'd advise 15... 12 is just too little.

Uhh I remembered my first year in college we are to take 27 units/ 9 subjects for one sem. 15 is our minimum and 31 is our max load. 27 seem to be so heavy for others but I managed it and got a 1.4 (highest is 1) for GWA. :)

If you think you can handle all the 15 units/credits then go for it. It only boils down to time-management and how much focus you will do with your studies. :)

Yeah I think it depends on what other things you might be involved with (job, sports, etc). However I recommend 15 hours if you think you can handle it. For me to graduate on time I need to take 16-17 hours per semester (can't remember). Well I took 12 hours my first (dropped a class I didn't need and thought was stupid) and then took 15 hours for the most part. My senior year is this coming year and to graduate on time I had to take at least 5 hours during the summer. Then for the semester I'll need to take 18 and 19 to get the hours I have to have. So I would talk your adviser and make see how many hours you need per semester for your degree (since each degree differs with hours). So you won't get stuck in my situation. XD

Most schools will let you drop a class without academic penalty if you can't handle it after a few weeks. You might find that you can do 15 hours without a problem.

It depends on your classes, but if it were me I'd stick with it and see how it turns out before dropping. It could fill up fast next semester and you might not get another chance.