How Many Credits Do Upper-Level Students Typically Take in a Semester?

[mr_coffee]

Hello everyone. I was curious on how many credits you take a semester once you hit the upper level 400 courses? I'm a computer science major by the way, so if you want you can list your major as well.

I have 44.5 credits left and I don't want to stay in school longer than I have too. These last 2 semesters I've been taking it easy trying to deal with more important issues but I still haven't been getting great grades, and I believe I could have done just as well or bad having taken 2 more courses. It doesn't seem to help if I take lesser credits is what I'm saying.

So i was curious on average how many credits are you taking at the jr/sr. level and still maintain a g/f and social life?

if you don't have a g/f or social life you can still post though

Thanks!

 

[brendank]

This semester I'm taking 21 and this fall I'm probably taking 18. I'm a mechanical engineering major with minors in, math, physics, and aerospace engineering. I'm a varsity athlete, participate in several student clubs, and will probably be on the student government next year. I think it all just depends on how busy you want to be.

 

[mr_coffee]

impressive!

 

[arunma]

My senior year, I took 16 credits. That worked out to three physics classes and one math class the first semester, and one physics class and three math classes the second semester. But I couldn't even hope to compare to Mr. 21 Credits over here! Now that is impressive.

Anyway, girlfriend, no. Social life, yes.

 

[Maxwell]

I've taken a good deal of electives during my senior year of EE. I've taken far more than many of my peers.

 

[leon1127]

I have done 31 credits when I was doing my lower level work. Now I am doing 21 credits in Statistics and Mathematics including independent study and research. Girl friend, no. Social life... not really.. but I still have free time to work.

 

[mattmns]

Wow, you guys are insane. I have never done more than 15 hours in a semester. And next year, my senior year, I will be taking only 12 hours in the fall (9 of which are senior undergrad/first year grad math and stat classes; the other 3 hours being a freshman level sociology class ). I also have no girlfriend and very little social life. However, I do get 7-8 hours of sleep every night, straight A's, have some free time, and never feel stressed out about school.

 

[ziad1985]

I don't know how much it equals in credits, but I have 324 hours of classes in this semester.
I suppose a credit is 1 hour per week?if so I'm taking 27 credits

 

[ircdan]

In my junior and senior years I took 9-12 credits, all math courses, and managed to maintain a social life and gf.

 

[mr_coffee]

ircdan, can you take 9 credits and still be consdiered full time student? At my uni you need at least 12 or you can't get scholarships or on campus housing if u live on campus.

 

[ircdan]

ircdan, can you take 9 credits and still be consdiered full time student? At my uni you need at least 12 or you can't get scholarships or on campus housing if u live on campus.

It depends, I had some problems with what you are talking about, but managed to fix it by taking summer courses.

Anyways another suggestion, and something I did that helped me, was I would take 3 hard math classes(upper level) and 1 easy class.

Also, I think it really depends on what classes you are taking. My friend is a CS major, also taking all upper level classes, and last semester he took four courses and had to drop two! But this semester, he is taking four classes and doing sensational. So it highly depends on the course. Some courses are just harder than others. Goodluck!

Also, I do know some people who take 12-18 credits a semester, all upper level, but they manage to skimp by with bad grades. I really think 9-12 is good. Just take 9 in your major, and 3 in something really easy. Personally 3 hard math courses is more than enough for me. I've taken 4 math courses(12 credits), but one was easy, I think it was linear algebra(intro course), so that was doable, but still hard because it was 12 credits of all math.

 

[Sojourner01]

120 - but I have no idea how you're supposed to compare UKHE/european credits with north american one - and the number we're allowed to take is fixed. Single-term modules are normally ten credits and whole-year modules are 20. BSc dissertations are worth 40; MPhys dissertations are 60.

 

[G01]

18 next semester, only 16 now.(I'm slacking I know)

 

[Mandanesss]

I'm a math major with a double minor in biology and chemistry and I'm a junior in college. Next semester I'll be taking 17 units and the semester after 14. I do have a social life, a job, participate in a few student clubs and a boyfriend.

 

[Corneo]

I usually take about 3 electrical engineering course each quarter, which works out to be around 12-14 credits. I find it difficult to do well when I take on a 4th course.

 

[daveb]

My senior year I took 6 classes each quarter at UCLA. Two were graduate math or physics classes for the last two quarters (four graduate classes total, 18 classes total).