<p>I am wondering if anyone has experience with high college workloads (20 credits +). Do you think your time management/grades improved? I’m taking a light load this semester (16 credits) and feel I’m wasting my time and then doing work last minute (because I keep thinking I have so much time) so I plan to do 20 credits next semester. Is this something stupid or something beneficial for someone who has had bad time management skills for most of school life, but really wants to change and grow up?</p>
<p>It depends. I generally procrastinate less when I have more work to do. The downside to taking more classes is that they will probably all have exams/papers/projects due around the same time of the semester (e.g. right before fall break and at the end of the semester), and the workload can easily get overwhelming then. I have earned the lowest grade in my college career in the one semester I decided to take a course overload. I was doing fine until 2 weeks before the end of classes, and then I had so much work due at once that I had to neglect a project for one class to finish the work for my others.</p>
<p>Do you have a job? My part-time job (15 hours/week) gives more structure to my schedule than classes alone and overall helps me procrastinate less. It also provides a constant work load. I know that it won’t suddenly require twice as much time in one week, unlike an additional class. I have heard similar stories from athletes who spend several hours a day in practice. A reinforced routine (e.g. a work or training schedule) helps some people stay on track with their academic work as well.</p>