<p>Hi there! The difference between a class and a seminar is the number of hours you spend in class. But that’s also different depending on whether it’s a science/art class or not. So:</p>
<p>NON-SCIENCE:
CLASS: Meets for 3 hours a week (not necessarily all at once, can be broken up) [1 unit]
SEMINAR: Meets for 1.5 hours (generally an upper-level conference) [0.5 unit]</p>
<p>SCIENCE AND STUDIO ART
CLASS: Meets for 6 hours (divided up into lecture, conference, and/or lab components) [1 unit]
SEMINAR: Meets for 3 hours (generally an upper-level conference) [0.5 unit]</p>
<p>So for science classes, you’re spending a lot more time physically in class. But non-science classes generally have a lot more reading, so I think it balances out.</p>
<p>OVERLOADING, OR: A PERHAPS ENTIRELY UNINTERESTING NARRATIVE OF MY SEMESTERS AT REED
My freshman year I did 4 classes both semesters, and then tacked on a French class in the spring as an audit. That wasn’t for credit, but it meant I was practicing French, and the arrangement is something you work out with the professor. Usually it entails doing all of the reading (always, actually) and presentations, only not the long-form essays. Then my sophomore year I overloaded with 5 classes, and was fine–and for the spring they were all upper-level literature classes. My junior year, when I got back from Paris in the spring, I only took 3 classes, and didn’t feel like it was enough work. I felt like I was slacking off, actually. Senior year was 4.5 in the fall, although two of those were art classes (which means 6 hours class each) and one was a seminar. Now, in the spring, I’m taking 3 classes, since my thesis counts as 1 class. And it’s great, because all I want to do is work on my thesis.</p>
<p>Hope that was insightful and not just rambling.</p>