I just started back to college this semester. Typcially 18 units is considered full time. Our college advises people who work full time to only take 6 units per semester. So I would be doing double that (which is 3 classes).
What do you think and why ?
2006-11-28 08:50:28 · 13 answers · asked by Chelle 2 in Education & Reference ➔ Primary & Secondary Education
Well if you are just starting back to school it is probably best to start slow.
The reason they advise only 6 units is because of the homework involved. For every one hour you spend in class you need to study at home at least 1 hour. If you are taking 6 units then i assume that is 6 hours of class time a week. Plus at least 6 hrs of home work is 12 hrs of school a week plus the 40hrs you spend at work plus sleep and stuff looks like this...
24 hrs x 7days a week = 168 hrs in one week
168 hrs
- 40 hrs of work
- 6 hrs in class
- 6 hrs in studdy
- 56 hrs sleep (8hrsx7days a week)
this all leaves 60 hours a week free ( more or less)
that breaks down to 60hrs divided by 7 days in a week 8.57 hrs a day.
You have an extra 8 and 1/2 hrs to drive, eat, bathe, dress, you would be surprised how much time these things take in a days time. I know I wake up at 6:30 and get to work at 8 There is an hour and 1/2 right there.
If you think you can handle it,,, go for it, but remember you are paying for these classes and don't want to risk failing one and having to pay to take it over.
Good luck to you, try mixing it up, take 3 hard classes and 2 easy ones.
2006-11-28 09:10:15 · answer #1 · answered by cajohnson667 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I currently take 12 units and work a full time job as an accountant. I started out taking 6 units, but at that rate I would never finish my program!
As long as you are disciplined and balance your courses well, you should be fine and not sacrifice too much of your free time.
What I do is balance between two "regular" load classes and an easy elective that I need for my GE requirement. When I have to take a VERY difficult course, I do two "easies".
I take advantage of the condensed summer sessions, half-semester classes and saturday morning schedules as well in order to get 12 units per semester and not go crazy with time and stress.
I am also married and am able to run my household and have a social life by learning to balance my loads.
2006-11-28 09:01:07 · answer #2 · answered by Muse 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It depends upon the classes you're taking and the job that you have. Will the classes require a lot of homework? Reading? Can you do any of that while at your job? What about your living situation? Do you live alone? With your parents? Living on your own can require a lot of time (grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning etc.). If you decide to work and take 12 credit hours of classes -- just look ahead and think about how you will handle the time crunch. Finals and midterms can be particularly taxing, especially if you have classes with long take-home essay exams or if all of your tests are bunched up at the same time. I think that it's doable. I took 23 credit hours and worked a part-time job during one semester of college. I survived and did quite well in the classes but... I chose them wisely, based upon scheduling and homework demands. For example, I had two classes that only met once/week and others that had only labs and no homework. Being organized will help a lot, but you can do it. Good luck.
2006-11-28 08:58:18 · answer #3 · answered by Shibi 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Probably it's not a good idea. The only way you possibly could do that is if they all were very simple classes with no homework and easy exams to study for and there are usually only a few classes like that and the football team fills those up! You didn't mention what classes they were so I can't tell.
One semester I decided I was going to speed up my graduation so I took 18 hours (probably close to what you are attempting) and I almost went crazy. I got about 4 hours of sleep a night, had no social life. I had 4 English classes which involved a lot of reading and writing, one math class, and a history class. I wound up doing poorly in most of the classes and I am usually an A student. And what is the big rush for really. Believe me it's not that thrilling to graduate and have lots of bills and a mortgage even though it seems like at the time it is such an important thing to graduate 6 months early or whatever.
My advice would be to start up by taking the recommended 6 hours and see how that goes first. Then if you think that is a piece of cake, you could always increase that to 9 hours. Then maybe you could increase it to 12 hours. Why hurt or ruin your GPA if you don't have to?
I tried to warn a pre-med student I worked with that had the same idea as me that decided to sign up for 18 hours and work part-time as well. But he decided to go ahead and take the 18 hours because he was in a rush to graduate. Unfortunately, he failed his courses and had to drop out. I just think it is a better idea to go slowly and not set yourself up for possible failure...Good luck with your classes!
2006-11-28 11:00:09 · answer #4 · answered by Karen 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I work full time and I take 17, however two classes are taken online. I have done this in the past but i will be honest, I almost always fail at least one class simply because it really burns you out. I have sacrificed almost all of my free time and study rarily because I can not find the time to.
However, 12 credits is possible with hardwork. Try taking it and if its too hard, drop a class or so before your deadline arrives.
2006-11-28 08:58:55 · answer #5 · answered by matthewmspencer 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I've gone to college for 4 years in a row and have never taken anything under 12 credits which is considered full time at my university. Taking anything under that made me feel like I wasn't really getting anywhere and it takes twice as long to get done. Trust me it's a lot of work and the stress sucks but it's worth it.
2006-11-28 09:25:03 · answer #6 · answered by michigan 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If the subjects are totally unfamiliar to you don't waste your time. Unless you like to fail. On the other hand if these subject are repeats or extension courses or upgrade courses. Then perhaps you can handle it. If you are from Europe it will be exceedingly difficult but if you are from the US it will only require that you give up all social life seven days a week and be totally organized about your daily activities. Then it will seem easy as pie. If you are not in the habit of making schedules for yourself and having exceptional self discipline you will not succeed.
Paul F
2006-11-28 10:30:51 · answer #7 · answered by Paul F 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My younger brother worked full time while working on his MBA. He was taking classes online. Between the class projects, work and reading, he was at times having a social life. On average, they recommend studying 2-3 hours for every hour in class, so it becomes a bit more difficult to do things. know it takes a bit longer going part time on getting the degree, but it is worth it.
2006-11-28 08:58:17 · answer #8 · answered by dawncs 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It definitely depends on what kind of a student you are and what college you are going to..and where you work and what classes you are taking...
Those things matter alot. If you are taking a much of elective classes, go for it. If you are taking some core classes, I would drop a class. And if you are not to good of a student, it would be a good idea to listen to your advisor because you don't want to mess up the first semester back.
2006-11-28 09:23:47 · answer #9 · answered by Samster 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
As long as you are disciplined and are able to schedule your time wisely you should be O.K. I did that one year to finish up my education degree, but my sacrifice was that I didn't have a social life for that year. If you are willing to sacrifice your outside activities for work and study time only, then you will be O.K.
2006-11-28 08:54:50 · answer #10 · answered by Angie C 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋