Creating a Balanced Course Load

Advise students to balance their course loads by both interest and type. Different kinds of courses have different rhythms during the semester.

To have a balanced course load after the FYSE, students should select:

• 1 course in a major (or possible major)

• 1 course to enjoy or are good at, or to fulfill a distribution credit

• 1 course to explore, to experiment with, to try something NEW

Keep these categories in mind when choosing courses that will give a balanced workload:

Courses with dense reading, 1 – 4 papers and exams:

Literature, History, Religion, Philosophy,Sociology-Anthropology, Geography, Political Science

Course with daily homework, frequent quizzes and drills, presentations and tests:

Beginning and intermediate languages

Courses with some reading, labs, quizzes, problem sets, exams:

Economics, Mathematics, Computer Science and Natural Sciences

Courses with time intensive ‘hands on’ tests, some reading, presentations, group work, concert/performances:

Music, Studio Art, Theatre, Dance, Film/Video