Recall Your First Term College Class Load
 

I remember my first quarter at Ga Tech. (The semester system was implemented much later). And since it made a lasting impression, I did not look it up. Admittedly, it was in the last century, but times have changed.

The only organized outside-of-class help was the prof's scheduled office hours (usually 2x or 3x 1-hr blocks). No help centers/desks or organized tutoring or recitation/discussion groups. No lecture videos for review or handout lecture notes. No online anything. Rather a sink-or-swim approach (see Drownproofing reference below).

One of my two Engineering Drawing lab sessions (remember T-squares?) was Saturday 8 am - 11 am. Saturday morning classes were routine. Even third-year physical chemistry lecture was always TThS 9 am.

The three first-year PE courses were Gymnastics, Track and Drownproofing. Can you stay afloat for 50 minutes wearing street clothes or swim with your wrists tied behind your back and your ankles tied together, and other lesser tests?

ROTC (Army, Navy or AF) was required for the first two years. I think females were exempt, but there were few female students on campus.

Ah, the memories, eh? And, at least in those good-ol-days, Ga Tech students did not refer to Graduation - it was Getting Out.

Mine was a picture of me not having a clue what I wanted to do. I'd taken a year and a half from early graduation at HS. Knew I'd suck so I boned up on easy helper classes.

Physical Science
Algebra and Trig
Sociology
English Comp
Macro Econ

That's all I can remember. Next semester was almost all STEM and that was that. Calc, Physics, Chemistry.

I remember it well. I went to Ole Miss, known as a party school and the Country Club of the South. Not when I was there: Saturday classes, 21 hours each semester in Biology/Chemistry, mandatory ROTC. Not even a Spring Break. I graduated with a good education, and I doubt that our Millennials could handle it.

Required English, Math, Science, and the best part was Bowling. In bowling, I got to watch the hottie blonde stretch, twist, and giggle. You know young males are easily entertained. :cert:

I remember these

1. Drinking 101
2. Drinking on a budget 201
3. Missing Class 210
4. Advanced Hangovers 310

21 credit hours? :faint:

I was a triple BS (math, computer science and Economics) so I had 3 classes in my major ever semester, if I got less than a C in any class, I had to take it over as it wouldn't count toward the degree, and would push graduation a year as the only way to get the triple was to take a specific set of classes in a specific order across all 3, which overlapped in the math department. I graduated on time :)

So 16 credits a semester, 3 classes in my major (out of 4-5 classes a semester) every semester, and I worked 25 hours a week to pay my way through.

I can't remember what I had for dinner last night let alone my class load as a freshman :confused5: :leaving: What I do remember was that as a biology major with a chemistry minor, I had a lot of 1 credit hour lab classes that translated to 4+ hours in the lab each week, so my normal credit hour load was ~15-16 each semester, with 124 required to graduate

Beats me, but I had 21 hours

Well lemme see;

Pipe welding theory
Steam system theory
Hot water system theory
Basic Trigonometry.

Then? Welding. 6" diameter pipe coupons, 6G position, 5P root, 7018 out.

My first term at Community College in California was the basics:

English
Social Studies
College Algebra
Chem
Micro Econ

I was also working full time. I completed 40 or so hours then I took a little break. For 15 years. Went back to CC in Texas, finished my AA, then transferred to the University of Texas at Arlington and finished my BBA in about 7 years going part time at night. Now I'm at TCU working on my Masters. Two classes per semester for two years.

I remember my part time class load at UTA being harder than my full-time class load at Community College. Glad I finished though.

This was in 1978 at Pensacola Junior College. I think it was $12 a credit hour in those days.

Intro to Computers - 3 hours
Economics I - 3 hours
English Comp - 3 hours
American Constitution - 1 hour
Calculus I - 4 hours
Intermediate Tennis - 1 hour

15 hours for the semester.

When I went back after 15 years, my math was so bad that I actually re-started everything. I went from basic math (yes, fractions and number lines) and took math for seven straight semesters all the way up to Calc 2. :ack:

Forgot:

5. Ramen Noodle Diet, 101
6. Pizza Consuming, 201
7. Bathtub Mixers, Grain Alc. & You, 301

I don't remember the detail but I do remember keeping the Credit hours down below 15 and normally around 12. I had a full time job that paid 200.00 a semester for full time college and my school cost 2525.00 a semester.

One of my first classes at community college was Intro to Law Enforcement. The class met on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The professor told us Mondays and Wednesdays were lectures and Fridays was a test. He said he didn't care if you did not show up on Mondays and Wednesdays, but if you didn't you won't pass the tests on Fridays.

The first few weeks of school the weather was really hot and there was no air conditioning. One Monday I decided not to go and hung out on the lawn in the shade with some friends. We were right outside the classroom and I could hear the lecture very clearly. So for several weeks I "attended" class on the lawn on Monday and Wednesday, then went in and aced the test on Friday.

The professor was baffled at how I was doing this. He was a retired FBI agent and couldn't figure this out.:D

Twice in my off and on years at community college I just stopped going to a class and never officially dropped it. At the end of the semester I got a B in each of these classes.

At the time in California community college was very cheap, I think $5 a unit. The requirement to get in was you had to be 18 and have a pulse.:yesnod:

Two girls, same day, big load.

Oh yea and I was the pinball master.

This reminds me - Tech had roll call at the beginning of every class, at least for freshman classes :eek:
Wonder how that would go over today?

UMass was on the honors system... some of my lectures had 100 or more students. I expect the numbers well exceed that today.