<p>My sister is at Dartmouth, and they take three classes a quarter. Students are permitted to take four classes maybe twice during their time, but very few do unless they’re struggling to meet their major requirements upon graduation.</p>
<p>No one takes five classes. Besides the fact that your life would suck, you need to pay extra tuition and file for permission. I’m sure there are occassions when it has happened, probably someone fulfilling a requirement he neglected to take earlier. You can take four classes plus PE, though. That’s not uncommon.</p>