Throughout my four years here at Wesleyan, I have always been thinking about how to make my coursework reflect my future interests and goals. With this thought in mind, I worked to create a semester schedule that reflects my academic as well as personal interests. Realistically, some classes require much more work than others, and there is so much that you may want to accomplish in the short amount of time that you have left. Thus, the question that often pops up in the minds of many students appears: Should I take more than four classes this semester?
As mentioned in one of the earlier blog posts, balance is the key to success! Without balance, life as a student can be much more stressful than a life with balance. Here is where the idea of taking more credits comes in. In some cases, students with already heavy semesters take on 5 or more credits with the purpose of creating less work later in their Wesleyan careers. By taking more credits, a student may be placed on the fast track of completing their major as well as graduation credit requirements. Sounds great right! Not necessarily.
If you are considering taking more than 4 credits for a semester you should first ask yourself some questions. How much work is required of you over all of your classes? Will you have enough time to do your due diligence in completing all of your assignments well? What about extracurricular activities? Can you take a minimum of 4 credits and still complete all of my major requirements?
If you are considering or need to take more than 4 credits to complete major requirements, consider balancing your schedule with reading/writing intensive and exam based courses. Also, consider taking classes that you may find easier to balance the more demanding courses. If you are considering taking more than 4 credits to get ahead on the 32 credit graduation requirements, there are physical education, dance, and QAC classes that may not be worth a full credit, but they do help you to increase your credit count faster.
Ultimately, you should do what is best for you and make sure you have an ample work/life balance. Also, should need be, you always have your peer advisors here to help!
Link to post on Balance: http://peeradvisor.blogs.wesleyan.edu/2015/07/23/balancing-your-first-semester-schedule/
