Although 15 credits is the standard workload all students are encouraged to attempt during their freshman year, it’s become increasingly common for students to take fewer. Students often take closer to 12 credits, or sometimes fewer.
This might be an issue. In order to graduate in four years, students must take at least 15 credits each semester.
Tyler Vosgerchian, a junior at Eastern Michigan University, is an art student who is taking 12 credits this semester.
He said this is primarily due to the fact that, as an art student, many of his classes are longer than others. Vosgerchian is aware taking 12 credits might keep him from graduating in four years.
“It concerns me,” he said. “I know I should be taking 15 credits, but I figure I’ll make it up during a summer semester.”
Despite worry over postponed graduation, some students believe 15 credits simply isn’t a realistic or reasonable workload.
Noah Borders is a junior at EMU and is taking 13 credits this semester.
“The loans are the biggest factor,” he said.
“It’s $9,000 a semester. It’s also a lot of time. Realistically, 12-credit-hours worth of homework is enough to stress me out. I tried to work full time last year during classes, and I decided that wasn’t good for my mental health this year.”
Borders also wondered if a heavier credit load would inhibit his ability to make meaningful relationships with other students.
“Although you can tell yourself that you can have a social life with 12 credits and a job, it’s actually really hard,” he said.
“When you grow up, you’ll have a job and you might be lucky to meet people at the grocery store, but that sounds kind of weird. I want to make enough friends in college so that I can network once I graduate.”
The motivation to lead a more balanced life by taking fewer credits is not exclusive to EMU students.
Michael Marsh, a junior at University of Michigan, used to take 14-16 credits every semester.
“I didn’t really have much else to do other than school so 14 to 16 wasn’t too much,” he said. “I just did that so that I didn’t have too much of a workload but would still be on track to graduate on time.”
This semester Marsh is taking 12 credits because he has two jobs and intends to keep both of them through that time. When asked how he felt about the shift in credit load, he expressed enthusiasm.
“I’m feeling very optimistic and very excited for this next semester because I’ve always used college as a trade school with a bunch of other stuff you can do on the side,” he said.
“Taking 12 credits will allow me to do more of everything — work first and foremost.
“But it will also allow me to trade off between work and socializing whereas previously I always had a bunch of assignments to do.”
Of course, some students take even more than the standard 15 credits. Andrew Hoepner, a sophomore at EMU, is taking 18 credits.
“This semester, I wanted to take 15, but I was looking at my schedule in the long run,” he said. “The program requirements for my major and minor are intense. Basically I had to take 18 this semester so that I could take 15 in the future.”
Despite this decision, Hoepner said he is jealous of those who are capable of taking fewer credits.
“If I could take less, I would,” Hoepner said. “I probably would. I just can’t afford to take less. I think 12 would be really nice.”
Luisa Scavo is a sophomore at EMU. Her scholarship requires her to take 15 credits each semester, but she said she wouldn’t take fewer credits even if she could.
“I don’t think I would personally because sometimes I don’t feel like I’m doing enough work when I’m taking 15 credits,” she said.
Despite that, she understands the appeal of a lighter load.
“It’s really just a personal choice for me,” Scavo said.
“Good for them I guess; I can’t really blame them. College is kind of like a four-year break between high school, which is working your ass off, and the real world, which is working your ass off until you die. So if you want to enjoy it and take a break, you should do that if you want to.”
