Course load & GPA in LAS college

Colleges & Universities University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
1

<p>This fall, I will be entering the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences as a freshman (English major). I am also in the pre-law program, so my GPA will be very important.</p>

<p>Is it extremely difficult to maintain a high GPA, or does it correlate primarily to the amount of time one dedicates to studying? Is it very competitive? (I have heard that the business and engineering schools are, but what about LAS?) What is the GPA range for the top 5-10% of people? How often do people study to do well? Do people rarely get straight A’s, and if so, are they the students that are studying 24/7 and never go out?</p>

<p>Also, is it a good or a bad idea to fulfill Gen-Ed requirements with easy classes at a community college during the summer, or will this show up on my transcript when I apply to law schools? and if it does, is it looked down upon, or would it ultimately be better for my GPA? </p>

<p>One of my current teachers also suggested that upon entering college, freshmen should not take on a full course load during their first semester. This might be a viable option for me because I already have AP credits in some Gen-Eds, but I would be interested to hear a current student’s opinion on how much I would actually benefit from doing it.</p>

<p>I’m particularly concerned about this because I was completely out of reality with the adjustment when I started high school as a freshman and was thrown into an environment that was much more competitive and demanding than what I was used to. I managed to adapt, however, by sophomore year. Since then I’ve gotten straight A’s but I’m kind of anxious about entering college because I know it will be much harder and there will be more motivated students at U of I than at my public high school. </p>

<p>I would like to have a good idea of what to expect and I would appreciate any kind of input given.</p>

2

<p>You’ll be fine. My friend is just about the biggest slacker around and he coasted through the History program. You can “shop” for easy As and effectively end up with schedules where you hardly ever need to attend class.</p>

3

<p>Depends on your school. Depends on how smart you are. And most of all. It depends on your MAJOR. That’s a big one. If you are a chemE there is no “easy” track. There is insanely hard and too difficult. just two levels.</p>

<p>I would recommend taking 14-16 hours at most if you’re worried. Most people think they can handle more (some have to) and fail miserably. The lucky few do both well. Some people don’t do anything and others seem to never escape. Seriously it depends on your major, how many classes, and how smart you are. It’s almost formulaic.</p>

<p>I can usually tell which students are gonna do bad and which ones are doing well by how lazy they are (act). I’m not the best student but I’m definitely not lazy and therein lies the difference.</p>

<p>But if you went to a big suburbs high school it won’t freak you out as much. But if you went to a smaller or easier school U of I can be extremely intimidating.</p>