Well, 5 classes may be a bit much…and Biology may require a lab….so roughly, you may be looking at a 16 unit load…more than the “usual” 12 unit load (which is often considered full time). Key thing in life….don’t become your own worst enemy by stacking the odds against yourself. Plan carefully to avoid biting off more than you can chew.

Plan carefully and don’t become your own worst enemy. Make a time management plan to make sure you have enough time to study well and complete the classes successfully. Take as many or as few classes as you need in order to have adequate time to prepare and do well. Prepare well to succeed

Get organized by making a time budget. As school starts, fill in a schedule chart to know when and where you will be and what you will be doing every hour of every day 24/7.

To manage your time ,start with a written “time budget”. Use some graph paper to make a chart of the days of the week (these will be column headings), and then all 24 hours of the day (these will be row headings).

Fill in the matrix (boxes) for every hour of every day of the week to see where you are spending your time. Start with the “fixed” blocks of time…those things you don’t control when they happen…sort like class time and work.

Then fill in the “non-fixed” activities…..eating, sleeping,commuting, studying, washing, cooking, cleaning, etc (all the other things in your life). Don’t leave any empty boxes…you need to account for how you spend every hour of every day in a typical week.

If you are like most students, it goes something like this:

1) there’s only 168 hours each week

2) most folks want 8 hrs of sleep/night, so -56 hrs / wk

3) class time (for the 5 classes you plan to take is about 16 semester credit hours) -16 hrs in class each week

4) say 1 hr of study outside class for each hr in class; -16hr/wk (some folks need 2 hrs outside for each hr in class; that would be -32)

5) if you work part-time, a guideline is 20 hrs/ wk for a student with a full time load, so -20 hrs

At this rate, you could have 60-76 hours left to “spend” each week….but do you really?

figure 1 hr / day for washing up; -7 hr / wk

figure 2-3 hrs/ day for eating; -14 or 21 hrs/wk

figure 1 hr/day to commute to school; -3 or -5hrs/wk

then there’s shopping, appointments, dates, relaxation, family…wow…where does the time go?

Well, that’s the point of the schedule and time budget. When you see it all laid out on paper…you literally see where the time goes…now you can also begin to adjust, flex, cut, add, set priorities….do whatever to “manage” and take control over how you use time. This is much like money…at the start of the week, you have money in your wallet. At the end of the week, most folks are surprised how little is left in their wallet because they don’t remember spending so much. Most folks don’t write down how much they spend for what…and memories being what they are….well, so where did all the money go?

Also consider you familiarity with the subjects / courses you take. If some are harder for you than others, don’t take a bunch of hard ones in the same semester. Same for the easy ones…not all in the same semester. Mix and match to balance the load.

Dropping classes to lighten the load…could be a smart move (again to stack the deck in your favor), but be honest….will you actually use the time to study more in the remaining classes? Don’t slip into denial or you haven’t really gained much by dropping. Quitter? Don’t worry about the label. Making a tactical withdrawal when the odds are against you is not quitting or being dumb. There was a general who ordered his troops to get out of the way of a vastly superior enemy force. When asked if he was ordering a retreat, he replied “Retreat? Hell no! I’m just advancing in a different direction!!”

Striving for “A’s” or striving for grades in general…well, while a GPA is important, but I personally feel comprehending and fully understanding the knowledge/skills are more important than the grade. I was a average student (C’s mostly and some B’s with very few A’s). Yet I was able to earn 2 college degrees (BA and MA) and had a very productive and distinguished career, retired early with top honors in my profession.

I hope this helps…and best wishes to you and your studies.

“Do not socialize with any men during your freshman year. It will be distracting and dangerous. You know this or you would not have asked.” I’d like to add onto that. Best not socialize with anyone. Do not talk to girls, most of them are still very “high-schooly” and will stab you in the back in a second if it benefits them. harharhhar.. Right’o. Have you ever gotten any testing done? I’m dyslexic, and I get accommodations (like extra time on tests and note takers for lectures). Most professors are fine with you recording the class without a documented need, but, if you don’t want to be denied the privilege, get into contact with your college Disability/Handicap center or w/e. They might be able to help with getting the tests you need done in order for you to have the legal right to record classes and such.. (google “(your college name) Disability Services”. If you don’t want to go thru the hassle, you can always sneak in a recorder.. as long as you don’t give it out or anything no one will know you did it.. Only go to parties you’re invited to if it isn’t an all-inclusive gathering. I’m sure you’ve heard the drill on drinks.. Drink only unopened stuff.. Don’t let people touch your drink.. blah.. Use common sense there… If you’re a cool girl, no one will mind you just because you’re a freshman (Totally depends on the college though….)

To maintain full-time status, you have to take at least twelve semester hours. A max load is considered to be eighteen. The only problem with taking the minimum is that it lengthens the time to degree completion. You have to go more semesters and pay more money.

Initially take two periods of two classes .

in a week it can be say15 classes

And over a period one can take on .