<p>Students generally take 4 credits per semester (science courses with lab are worth 1.25 credits, while (almost) all other classes are worth 1, so students who take 3 courses + lab end up with 4.25 credits). As a first-semester first-year, you are not allowed to take more than 4 courses, and while I have taken more than that in my time at Wellesley, I would assure anyone that 4 courses really is a full courseload. Furthermore, you need 32 credits to graduate from Wellesley, so a student who takes 4 credits every semester throughout their Wellesley career will graduate on time with no outside credits/bending over backwards/etc.</p>