Is my Fall schedule too demanding?

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The discussion centers on a California Community College (CCC) student pursuing Aerospace Engineering, currently maintaining a GPA of 3.7. The student is enrolled in three courses for the fall semester: Physics Mechanics of Solids, Calculus I, and General Chemistry I, totaling 14 credits. Concerns are raised about the demanding schedule, especially with classes running from 8:30 am to 5 pm, and the potential impact on work commitments.Responses indicate that the course load is manageable, with many participants suggesting that three classes are typical and not overly burdensome, especially for someone with a strong academic background. The importance of self-discipline and effective time management is emphasized, as well as the potential for overlap in content between the courses. Some participants recommend considering a filler course rather than dropping Chemistry, and suggest looking for a job that allows for study time during downtime. Overall, the consensus is that the schedule is feasible, provided the student can balance work and study effectively.
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Hey all,

I'm a CCC student right now pursuing a career in Aerospace Engineering. Right now my GPA is a 3.7 and I only intend for it to go higher. It would probably be a 3.8-3.9 if my Chem teacher didn't screw me over last semester, but that's besides the point. :P

This fall I'm taking:
Physics Mechanics of Solids - 4 Credits
Calculus I - 5 Credits
General Chemistry I - 5 Credits

My schedule is pretty hectic as well. On some days I have classes from 8:30am - 5pm. That's just too much, especially considering I want to work. I'm not sure what my counselor was thinking by not saying how difficult this could be.

I'm thinking of dropping Chemistry and adding in a filler course, but I doubt my college has many classes still available for Fall. Do you guys think this load is feasible for someone who wants to work? I don't see how people here manage to take 5 science/math/physics based courses a semester and maintain a good GPA.
 
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Depends on how smart you are. Honestly that schedule doesn't look too bad for me, but I imagine the labs will be time consuming.
 
fss said:
Depends on how smart you are. Honestly that schedule doesn't look too bad for me, but I imagine the labs will be time consuming.

I'm a pretty smart guy. It's not that I'm not smart enough for these classes but the work load may be mentally draining after a while. Especially for someone who works and wants to continue working.
 
What is a CCC student?
 
Mororvia said:
What is a CCC student?

California Community College
 
That schedule looks fine. It's three classes.
 
James LeBron said:
That schedule looks fine. It's three classes.

Agreed. A normal work load is 5 classes per semester.

How many hours a week are you in class or lab?
 
Just out of curiosity, what year are you in? How come you are only taking Calc I now?
 
Well, where I'm from, we measure class credits in terms of hours. I'm not sure if that is what your system uses or if there is a 1-1 correspondence between the two (how many credits do you need to get a BS, we need about 125 hours), but 5 credits seems like a lot for Calc I and Gen. Chem. The 4 seems right for Physics IF there is a lab.

There doesn't seem to be anything too demanding about this schedule. In fact, you probably need to add the filler class instead of adding it and getting rid of chem. I started college at a community college (Georgia Perimeter College) and took 4 or so classes a semester while working a full-time job. You should certainly add courses to this schedule. In fact, is there a programming class you can take? This seems like it would be really valuable if you want an AE career.
 
  • #10
I took that schedule. I survived quite well. Man up and do it.
 
  • #11
Assuming you took some intro chemistry course previously, General chemistry one should not be a problem at all. Perhaps time consuming with the labs, the the work is basically the same as your previous course most likely, with only some simple thermochemistry gas laws, and geometry added.
 
  • #12
Whether your schedule is too demanding or not hinges heavily on how much you intend to work during the week. So far you haven't given us a number, and even then we won't be able to tell you, since we don't know what you're capable of, but assuming work = 0 hours/week, this looks like a cruising schedule. As you add more work, this will of course change.
 
  • #13
Three classes doesn't seem bad at all, especially since they all relate to one another. You'll see overlap between calculus and physics and physics and chemistry.
 
  • #14
Looks like a pretty easy schedule to me. If you want to work consider finding a job, if possible, that will allow you to do homework or study during the down time. They're out there.
 
  • #15
This is as easy as it can get. So just do it.
 
  • #16
Yea this is a pretty normal easy-ish schedule. Prepare for much much worse if you plan on doing aero.

The only hitch is your work schedule, physics 1 and chem 1 had pretty hefty workloads when I took them. If you've got good self-discipline and time management skills then you could pull it off easily even working full-time or close to it.
 
  • #17
That's 14 credit hours, which seems pretty normal to me. However, if anything, that seems like a light schedule. Usually, calc and chemistry would be more like 3 credits, and 4 credits for Physics would be correct if there was an associated lab. Is there any particular reason why the courses are weighted so highly?
 
  • #18
Yea it is a lot of credits per class. At mine Calc is 4, chem is 3+1, and physics is 4+1. The +1s being the associated lab which are counted separately and you are not strictly required to take them simultaneously.
 
  • #19
Depends on ur ability. IMO, that schedule is just right, a bit light for me, depends on how much you can handle it
 

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