However, 12 credits will put the student behind on the number needed to graduate, so they must be made up if the student wants to graduate on time and does not have credit going in (e.g. AP, college credit earned while in high school). It is not always an option to take one or more courses passed / not-passed if all of them are courses that may lead to majors.
It is the case that new frosh need to realize that college is different from high school, and the first quarter or semester can be a rough adjustment for students who are not careful with managing their time and staying on track in their courses.