Is this Spring schedule too difficult?

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The discussion revolves around a student's course load, totaling 14 credits, which includes a mix of advanced physics, microbiology, and a fencing class. The student expresses concern about managing time, particularly with lab courses, and notes a preference for taking one lab per semester. There is a query about the "Mechanical and Electromagnetic Waves" course, which combines elements from Griffith's Electrodynamics and French's Vibrations & Waves. Participants highlight the variability in course difficulty, emphasizing that course titles alone do not accurately reflect workload or time commitment. It is suggested that the student consults with older peers for insights on course demands. A methodical approach to scheduling is recommended to assess whether the courseload is manageable, including creating a detailed timetable that accommodates sleep, meals, relaxation, and study time.
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Atomic & Nuclear Physics - 3
Advanced Physics Lab - 2
Mechanical and Electromagnetic Waves - 3
Intermediate Microbiology - 4
Intermediate Microbiology Lab - 0
Research in Physics - 1
Fencing - 1

That's 14 credits. I need at least 12 for my scholarships.
 
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Labs can take up a lot of your extra time. I always thought it was best to do one lab course per semester.
 
What is mechanical and electromagnetic waves?
 
It's the second half of Griffith's Electrodynamics mixed with French's Vibrations & Waves.
 
kikko said:
It's the second half of Griffith's Electrodynamics mixed with French's Vibrations & Waves.

Thats odd. Most people that I've spoken with have had french before grifiths. Have you already covered the first half of griffiths?

In any case, I think 13 credits of science is a rather light to medium load.
 
I'm not sure how anyone here can evaluate how difficult your courseload is based solely on the titles of the courses. For all we know "Atomic & Nuclear Physics" is taught by an emeritus professor who's super laid-back and the class only requires a few hours a week, while "Intermediate Microbiology" is taught by someone who believes their subject to be incredibly important and wants students devoting 20 hours a week to it. Nobody here knows this. It would probably be better to ask older students at your university.
 
I'm going to give you my generic advice on how to test if a courseload is heavy or not.

1-Make a Spreadsheet that has all the days and hours
2-Put classes in respective time slots
3-schedule 8 hours of sleep
4-schedule normal eating times
5-schedule normal relaxing.hobby.working out time
6-schedule estimated homework/study time (Better estimate is obtain by talking to students who have takent he class.)
7-Determine if this look reasonable or if you'll be in a time crunch.
8-Eat Tacos.
 
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