Sophomore Posted September 27, 2015 Report Share Posted September 27, 2015 At McGill university, I have heard it is not advisable to do 5 courses in one semester, which totals to 10 courses per year. Is this true? I know it is a bit early for me to start planning out courses, considering I'm only in grade 12, but it helps escape my boredom. I have read that doing 5 courses will mentally and physically tire you out due to the workload.Any feedback would be great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birdy Posted September 27, 2015 Report Share Posted September 27, 2015 If you're planning to apply to medical schools, I'd recommend ensuring you take five courses per semester. Anything less can restrict the number of schools to which you apply or can result in you not being eligible for weighting formulae. I'm not certain if the Quebec schools are as particular about it, but if you wish to apply to any schools outside of Quebec, you can run into issues if you haven't taken five courses per year. Not to say it would completely prevent you from applying or getting in, but it could certainly limit your options. Plenty of people manage five courses per year just fine. I have lots of students from McGill in my program so I'm sure they did okay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
not my real name Posted September 27, 2015 Report Share Posted September 27, 2015 At McGill university, I have heard it is not advisable to do 5 courses in one semester, which totals to 10 courses per year. Is this true? I know it is a bit early for me to start planning out courses, considering I'm only on grade 12, but it helps me escape my boredom. I have read that doing 5 courses will mentally and physically tire you out due to the workload. Any feedback would be great! Where did you hear this? Advisors for people in first year will sometimes discourage you from doing this in your very first semester, but most people I know were taking 5 courses per semester. I would say definitely avoid taking 5 program courses per semester, always try to take at least one "easier" elective course. But don't shoot yourself in the foot by taking 4 courses... You might regret it. The only exception I can see is if you are taking 4 credit courses. I took two of these in first year one semester, though I still took 5 courses and ended up with 17 credits that semester (it was fine). Depending on the school, it could be okay to take 14 credits one semester (i.e. 4 courses), then 16 the next (assuming another 4 credit course). I did not do so because of paranoia. If you are bored and have the time, look up the individual schools' criteria to see what the impact would be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenixfire Posted September 28, 2015 Report Share Posted September 28, 2015 I've taken up to 6 courses a semester with maxed out credits (17 I think?) at McGill, which I do not recommend, especially if you have a very active extracurricular life. 5 though is definitely doable and makes you eligible for using the weighting formula at U of T (not sure about other schools). Unless you have to work 20+ hours a week to support yourself through school, I wouldn't go lower than 5. Like not my real name said, you can take an easier elective course to lighten the load! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophomore Posted October 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2015 Thank you for your various replies above guys. I guess I will do 5 courses per semester. I strongly believe I will be able to handle it haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exergy Posted October 3, 2015 Report Share Posted October 3, 2015 I've done 6 courses at McGill most semesters. 5 is definitely doable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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