I am going to be a freshman in college this fall studying computer science. I am registered to take 16 credits (17 if you count the 1 week “freshman experience” course) and I am running track which starts in September and goes til May. In was wondering if that amount of a course load would be a lot for a freshman’s first semester?
Course Schedule:
- Intro to the Visual Arts - ART 203 (3 credits)
- Public Speaking - COMM 170 (3 credits)
- Computer Science Seminar - CS 100 (1 credit)
- Foundations of Computer Science I - CS 180 (3 credits)
- Analytic Geom & Calc III - MATH 264 (3 credits)
- Matrix Algebra - MATH 285 (3 credits)
- Freshman Experience -INDV 101 (1 Credit)
I don’t have much experience because I’m also an incoming freshman, but I also will be running track and I have talked to fellow upperclassman about how they handle it.
Straight up: yes, this is an insane course load especially running track. Usually it’s recommended that freshman don’t take much their first quarter/semester because they’re trying to adjust to college life, and even though fall is preseason track workouts which aren’t very time intensive, I think it’ll be a challenge to balance all of that.
Not saying impossible, but if you’re running for a D1 school, where inseason workouts are upwards of 3 hours a day and you’re always exhausted, it’s gonna be tough.
D3 even, as I’ve heard from a sophomore XC friend, is very time consuming- 2 hours a day at least.
I’d say rethink your schedule, even though most of your courses probably don’t require too much time. But because I don’t really know you, you may be a time management genius, in which case you’re probably fine! 
16 credits is a pretty standard courseload. How much you can handle on top of that really depends on you. What I usually say is, try it, take a good look at the syllabi in the beginning of the semester, get a feel for how much time track is going to eat up, and drop a class if you think it’s too much to handle. Do not feel bad about dropping a course.
Here are a couple of things I think you should think about:
How much time would you have to devote to track? Is it more than you’re used to? If it’s a lot, then you might want to consider dropping a class, while you get used to it.
What is your major? Do you have room in your schedule to take a lighter courseload? It looks like you’re ahead in math (and taking two math classes), so I bet you could afford to drop a math class and still be on track to graduate on time. But if you’re in a major with less flexibility, it may be harder for you to graduate on time without taking a heavier courseload later, if you take a lighter courseload now. It’s something to consider. If taking 14 units now means you have to take 20 units later (or courses over the summer or an extra semester, all of which can be really expensive), then it might not be worth it. Or you might want to reserve taking a lighter courseload for a semester when you are taking really difficult upper-division courses (and, perhaps, have other commitments, like a job or an internship). Take a look at how much room you have in your schedule to move things around.
How well do you think you are prepared for college? Did you go to a rigorous high school? Did you do well? Do you test well? Do you manage your time well? If you came from a rigorous high school and did well (while running track), you will likely be well set-up to do well in college. If you went to a weaker high school, then even if you did well, the jump to college level work might be a big leap for you. If you sailed through high school without ever studying, college might be a big change. If you aren’t good at tests, then college courses might be difficult, since many classes are heavily test based (although the courses you’re taking might involve more projects or homework that can help somewhat with your grade).
Are there other things that you want to do? Clubs, work, events, etc? Do you have trouble saying no to hanging out with friends or doing something fun or going out to eat or to a party or to the movies, etc? If you think you’ll have trouble limiting your social life when you really have to study or when you have to get to bed early because you have practice in the morning or whatnot, then you might want to think about dropping a class while you get used to juggling your different commitments.
I’d take it easy the first semester. Track takes a lot of energy, so does school. You don’t want to half-do it in either. Try more like 12 or so credits and adjust as needed.
16 credits would be a normal course load for most students (nominal workload of 48 hours per week, but actual workload is probably less), but the athletic training for a student athlete will take up considerable time, making that schedule seem like a much higher workload when added to the time spent in athletic training.
With those courses? Easily.
Do you know anybody on the track team already? They would have a good idea of what is reasonable. That doesn’t look hard but it might be if track takes 20-30 hours a week.