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Course Load and Hints for Course Planning

In order to graduate in four years, you must carry an average of 15 credits for each of your eight terms unless you have Advanced Placement or other credits before your arrival here, or you plan to enroll for a Spring or Summer term(s). You always have to carry at least 8 credits during a Fall or Winter term (12 credits are necessary for full-time status for Financial Aid and other reasons). Special permission is required to elect fewer than 8 or more than 18 credits. Because of the new demands of college life, some first-year students would do well to enroll in 12 credits, at least for the first term. Typical first-year schedules usually include three or four courses, sometimes five courses, but rarely six.

If you plan to transfer to another undergraduate school of the University (e.g., Business Administration, Engineering, Architecture and Urban Planning, Education), you should check to see what courses are recommended for the first year in your particular program. Helpful information can be found on page 32, and in Chapter V of the LS&A Bulletin.

Start early on the language and distribution requirements as they apply to you. We also recommend that one or more of your subjects be new to you and not merely a continuation of those taken in high school. The first year of college is a good time to explore completely new areas of interest, and you should seize this opportunity to stretch yourself. The Fall Term First-Year Course Guide provides a view of how broad are the horizons of the College.

Early in your college career it is probably unwise to take courses that require the same study habits or patterns. For example, it might be a bad idea to choose four courses that each require 200 pages of reading a week. Take a variety of courses so that you can try lab courses and discussions, lectures and heavy reading courses; language, music, and theatre and drama all require different styles of learning and studying. A mixture of learning styles will probably make your first year more enjoyable.

We also urge you not to undertake too much in your first term. Most students find that college work requires considerably more effort and time than do high school courses. You will probably need a term or two to become accustomed to this new and demanding academic environment.

Typical First-Term Schedules