Get more out of life with fewer credit hours

When asked about my course load by other Rice students, I have often responded with something like, “Just 15.” Hearing others announce “17,” “18” or “20” hours used to make me feel like I wasn’t challenging myself or I wasn’t taking full advantage of the academic opportunities available. I know Rice offers a wide range of courses and professors that should not be taken for granted.

However, I have come to the conclusion that many factors go into determining a course load. Simply because someone takes more hours does not mean he or she benefits more intellectually — or in any other way.

Of course, for some people, a heavy course load is a necessity, not a choice. Some engineering and science majors must take on a heavy course load to graduate in four years. Those who didn’t earn Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate credit may also have to catch up by taking more hours.

But many students take more than 15, even if they don’t have to. I’ve tried to figure out why this happens, keeping in mind the average for some schools is a more manageable 12 to 14. Rice students may have the wrong approach to academics. Do they think more is better? Maybe they feel the heavier course load automatically makes them look more impressive, more dedicated or more accomplished.

Clearly, enrolling for more classes solely to impress graduate schools or future employers shows an obsession with outward appearances — and a lack of real commitment to deep intellectual contemplation. But if some students truly believe they gain from an unnecessarily heavy load, that is where the problem lies.

Testing the limits of academic endurance does not allow students to really invest and absorb themselves in learning. The cliché of quality over quantity rings true; needlessly spreading oneself too thin inevitably brings about mediocre results.

If you are constantly struggling to complete class work and have absolutely no time to reflect on the material, your additional course hours, while impressive on paper, may really be preventing you from having a truly stimulating intellectual experience.

For other students, their tireless commitment to academics and learning drives them to exert themselves beyond what is recommended. But at what emotional, social and physical costs?

It is not healthy to invest your entire self-worth in your academics. Heavy course loads add stress and pressure and threaten a student’s well-being. At the very least, you would be missing out on pursuing other interests, like clubs, service, activism, the arts or part-time work.

While some students feel their weeks are not full enough without these extra two or three hours, some students more effectively spend their time and energy focusing on a more reasonable schedule and fully partaking in the undergraduate experience in a way suited to their other interests and passions.

Not only can these activities further personal growth, but they also provide the best opportunities to learn from your peers, which is what the undergraduate setting is all about.

Ultimately, I realized that getting the most from college cannot always be measured in objective terms, and certainly not in credit hours. Just because Rice does not charge tuition by the credit hour does not mean students should try to “get their money’s worth” by taking on more than is necessary.

I now feel confident in my priorities. I get the most out of each class I take, and I still have the time to get the most out of the rest of the college experience — and out of life.

Laura Szarmach is a Brown College sophomore.

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