How Many Credits Should I Take?

College works different from high school with respect to how classes are organized. College classes are assigned credit amounts based on how often the class meets per week. For example, a 4 credit class meets for 4 hours a week. Note, this doesn't necessarily mean that you have to attend a 4 hour lecture each week. It'll be divided over the week. For example, my WRA (Writing) class is a 4 credit class and we met twice a week for 2 hours. When signing up for credits, its a good idea to be in the 14 credit range. I took 14 credits and found it to be very manageable.

One thing to keep in mind, credits are assigned to classes based on how often they meet, not on how difficult they are. What I'm trying to say is a 3 credit biology class is probably going to be a lot more challenging than a 3 credit sociology course.

I know for Michigan State, you have to be taking 12 credits to be considered a full time student. Most students take anywhere from 12-14 credits each semester. Some students who are on top of their school work take 17 credits.

In conclusion, take as many as you feel comfortable with. I would recommend taking 12-14 your first semester and based on how that went, you can plan better for the upcoming semesters.

I hope you find this information useful!


Thanks for reading,

~Anthony