Finding the right balance between sleep, socializing and coursework can be difficult for students taking 18 credit hours, but then there are those who decide to take more between 21 to 25 credit hours.
According to Carrie Thomas, a research associate professor in the College of Sciences and director of undergraduate programs, about 17–18 credit hours is typically the maximum amount students are willing to take. Most do not want to subject themselves to the added stress of 21 or more credit hours.
“Some departments do academic credit for the TA appointments and the research appointments, so that tacks on credit hours,” Thomas said. “But not every department does it that way.”
ROTC students are in a similar situation — required ROTC classes such as military science courses and leadership courses are added to the courses required for their degree. Students with double or triple majors may compensate for their increased graduation requirements by taking more than the standard maximum credit hours, such as fourth-year student Chris Gabriel. Gabriel is studying human biology and psychology and is classified as a super-super senior due to his large accumulation of credit hours.
“I felt that pushing myself and taking all of those courses at once was something kind of necessary to lighten up the load I was always just trying to make it easier on myself towards the end, make sure I wasn’t going to have to take extra semesters or summer classes,” Gabriel said. “It was also a challenge, and I like challenges.”
In addition to taking semesters with up to 21 credit hours, Gabriel is the current president of the Jefferson Scholars, which requires him to have two majors, go to meetings and hold service and social events including fundraising events. Gabriel has also been a TA for organic and biochemistry for the past two years and has done research since August of freshman year.
“From my experience, anything over 18 hours is something you’re going to be really stressed about over the entire semester, and the kind of management of that is doing all that work and making sure you dedicate time to the other things in your life,” Gabriel said. “I’ve always maintained this philosophy of balance. I balance my academics with my social life, with athletics, with kind of everything that is important to me.”
Gabriel is not the only student taking an inordinate number of credit hours. Third-year student Maliha Talib is taking 19 credit hours, including being a TA for three classes. But including the two research projects she is a part of, she has 25 credit hours. Talib is part of research projects in the microbiology department and the College of Veterinary Medicine’s stem cell research on transgenic mice and is also part of the Career Development Center Ambassador Program and the University Conduct board.
“I’m doing this mainly for medical school; it gets more competitive every single year and there’s different things that universities are looking for and medical school is what I wanted to do my entire life, and trying to think of something outside of med school for me is just unimaginable,” Talib said. “I’m trying to do as much as I can to prove to med schools that I am the perfect candidate. I think this semester will be the biggest test for me.”
Talib insists the way to manage a semester with a lot of credit hours is to prioritize and take breaks. Talib also values her studies above her TA jobs and has been told she is allowed to leave them whenever she needs to if the stress gets too great. Though she believes this semester will be her most challenging, she is planning to take 700 level courses next semester, which is a step up despite her already haven taken graduate level courses.
Though Gabriel and Talib may have a lot in common as far as drive and dedication to obtaining their degrees, where they differ is how they spend their social lives.
Gabriel looks for balance in everything, making himself carve out time for his personal life, while Talib, who lives at home and cannot drive herself at the moment, keeps mostly to herself. According to Talib, she misses hanging out with friends as her schedule tends to go from home to class to back home, remaining on campus from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Due to her busy schedule, scheduling meetings is hard, and group projects are almost impossible—though her biggest helper in organizing is Google calendar.
Taking above the maximum credit hours sounds like suicide to many, and it can overwhelm the majority of students who attempt it, but for some, the reward outweighs the stress.
“When I do work, I try to be really efficient and focus,” Gabriel said. “Taking over 18 credit hours I feel healthier as a person and I feel like I have more energy. I’m doing more beneficial things. I would say it is something to avoid if possible. It is very doable and worth it if you have the right goal, but, otherwise, don’t do it.”
