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Pre-law, how many credits??
Hi, I am going to a be a university student this year, and soon I will be meeting my advisor to plan out my schedule. I have been advised by some friends to take A LOT of classes, so I end up with about 20 credits a year, and by others to take only 13, or 15 credits, so I won't kill myself.
I will do anything to become a lawyer, so if it takes 20 credits I will do it. But I don't want to burn myself out and then find out it would have been OK to take 15.
Is there a recommended number for pre-law students? Thank you.
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You should first find out the maximum amount of credits you can take per semester. At my school you can only take up to 18.
You really should NOT take 20 credits. At least not your first semester. Take 13 or 15 the first semester so you can get the hang of it before you take on a full course load. Plus, the majority of people who overload end up dropping a class or two. It's VERY common.
Also, you want to be able to get used to your new surroundings and be able to meet new people. The biggest part of the college experience is being independent, managing your life, and most importantly, making friends. If you miss out on the social life, that's something you'd really regret.
Like the other person said, this isn't high school. The classes are NOT the same level as high school classes. Plus, it's harder to keep up your GPA since you won't have as much time to dedicate to each class.
Remember, you can always take summer courses to get ahead. And, I don't know if you know this, but almost 3/4 of your curriculum are required classes that everyone has to take, regardless of major, and they're all prereq's, so you basically don't get to take classes pertaining to your major until your last two years of school.
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I'm an astro-physics combined major and a math minor. I took an average of 18 crd. every semester and my friend who is an astro-physics combined major with a double major in math took 20. From personal experience, just let me say, DON'T DO IT!!!!!!!!! I will be a senior next year, but I am very burned out right now. My friend is burned out too. We are both managing, but if I could do college over again, I would not have done it. Being a lawyer is not worth losing your sanity over. Overloading on credits can also lower your GPA because you can't dedicate as much time to each class. It's possible to take that many credits, but only if you sacrifice free time and social time. I would say take between 15-17 credits the first semester of your freshman year, and if you think you can handle more, then go for it. Test the waters first. The number of credits you take won't increase your changes of getting into Law school. Think quality, not quantity. Focus more on GPA and activities. This isn't high school, where all the overachieves like ourselves took the hardest and most classes we could. It's very different. Try doing an internship for a law office. And PACE YOURSELF! Don't push yourself really hard your first two years only to end up burned out like me.
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