It was second semester of my first year at Scripps that it began to seem like five classes was the standard course load. I remember a group of upperclassmen coming into my AISS lab and talking to us about overloading.
Wait… That’s a thing?
At first, my classmates seemed a little mystified. This was something you could do? And then, once it became clear that taking five classes was an option, the logical response was “why not?”.
Students at the Claremont Colleges tend to be high-achievers and perfectionists. Once we see the bar set to five classes by our peers, even if to do so is technically overloading, than taking fewer classes suddenly seems like falling short. But as a first year, I decided that overloading was not for me, and I’ve stuck to that resolution ever since.
I understand that overloading can have its merits. Some majors have more requirements than others, and if you want to explore any classes outside those requirements, overloading is necessary. It’s also useful for those of us who come into our first and second years unsure of what to study, and later find ourselves scrambling to fulfill the requirements of our chosen major. Deciding to study abroad or trying to fulfill grad-school requirements (such as pre-law or pre-med) are two other situations in which students decide to overload.
However, sometimes overloading can seem tempting because there are so many interesting classes to take, or because it’s uncomfortable to have too much free time, or because having a second major or a minor seems like it will be attractive on a transcript. If you fall into this camp, I would encourage you to consider paring down your schedule to four classes, and this is why:
- You’ll get more out of each of your classes. If you’re anything like me, you care about putting time and thought into each of your classes. It can sometimes seem like the best way to take full advantage of the academic opportunities offered by these colleges is by maximizing your course load. However, by taking more classes, you may not get as much out of each individual class. With fewer classes, you have more time to spend focusing on each reading, getting to know your professor in office hours, or working on a term paper you really care about. Most importantly, you’ll have the mental capacity to better digest more of the information you learn in each class.
- You’ll have more time to take advantage of the events offered at the colleges. Every time I return to Claremont at the beginning of a semester, I promise myself I will listen to more of the speakers who come to visit, attend more panel discussions, do more game and trivia nights, and engage more with the community. In general, I am successful for the first six weeks of school, and then once classes get busy, I start forgetting my resolution. In short, classes aren’t the only important things to take advantage of at the colleges, and when you take fewer classes, you’ll be able to attend more of these events.
- You’ll try more things. Have you ever wanted to dance in Sanskriti or go rock climbing with OWL? What about working on an independent research project in a professor’s lab or teaching in preschool classrooms with Jumpstart? While many students are (or seem to be) somehow able to overload and participate in these activities, it’s a challenge and isn’t for everyone. Whether you’re pursuing a passion or trying something completely new, each of these activities can help you figure out what your interests and values are, just as much if not more, than an extra class.
- Your resume may actually benefit. While choosing not to overload may mean that your transcript will have fewer classes listed or even one major instead of two, trying new activities and spending more time exploring college outside of the classroom can ultimately add to your resume.
- You’ll be less stressed. Always remember to prioritize your mental health. You can’t fully benefit from your college education, or enjoy good times on campus, if you are failing to take care of yourself. People wonder how I always have time to keep a journal or cook for myself or read for fun (all things I do most days). I make time for these things, and they definitely improve my overall quality of life.
For some people, overloading may work just fine. Perhaps they need the extra classes to fill requirements, or they just can’t function with too much free time. But if you see your peers taking five or six classes, and but feel ambivalent about whether to take an extra class or not, or find yourself the only one in your friend group taking four classes, remember that it’s ok, and that holding yourself back from overloading may be the best decision for you.
When I have a lot to do, I tend to get overwhelmed and shut down and I certainly don’t keep up with my applications. But I have been trying to combat that this semester by making a lot of to-do lists and prioritizing my internship search even when it’s hard. There is always time, but sometimes you have to just be steady and persistent and make time for what you need to do. With 6 papers in one week, it’s hard to remember to write cover letters and fill out applications, but sometimes your schoolwork and internship search overlap. I’ve found that making lists and staying organized allow me to keep swimming. It may seem counterintuitive, but I would advise going to CP&R if you’re feeling overwhelmed and like you don’t know how to make time for your internship search. It may seem like you can’t take the time out of your day to go to an appointment or drop-in hours, but really it allows you to be more efficient.
