Does taking 12 credits a semester look bad?

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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So I attend college full-time, and normally my course load consists of 16-17 credits per semester. However, this year is going to be a little different since I plan on working part time as a CNA and I will also be commuting instead of living on campus. My commute is about 1.5 hours to AND and 1.5 hours back, so I figure that's going to take a pretty big chunk out of my day.

So I decided to lessen my workload and do 12 credits (which is still considered FT). My question is would this look bad on my transcript? Would nursing schools look down upon this?

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I hope not. Cause I'm taking 13. Last fall and spring I took 16, over the summer I took 7, so I'm only taking 13 now. If would have taken 16 this semester, next spring (last semester of pre-reqs!) I wouldn't have enough classes left in my pre-reqs to be full time. I don't want to take classes that I don't need, so I decided to divide the hours. 13 this semester, 13 next. (sorry for rambling!)

I don't think nursing schools would look down on it. There are many others who only take 12 hours throughout all of their years of pre-reqs, but that doesn't mean they won't get into nursing school because of it. It's about grades, not the amount of hours you take per semester IMO.

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People take different credits for different reasons. In the past I took max loads with my first bachelors...but this time I have only had 2-3 classes a semester. There is no reason it would be bad for your transcripts. Right now it works for me...but next year my girls will be riding the school bus together so I will be free to do the 15, 17, 18, 10 credit hour semesters!

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No one will think badly of 12 hours. Especially since a lot of the prereqs we have to take are time consuming lab classes where you get 4 hours of credit but are actually in class 5-6 hours. Carry the course load that allows you to get the very best grades.

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I took 14+ credits my first 2.5 years of college (1.5 of those years being my "pre req" years). My last semester of pre reqs, which was this past spring, I only had to finish A & P 2 & a required computer class, totaling 8 credits. I got into nursing school with no problem & no one ever mentioned my part time status.

Moral of the story, you should be fine.

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My last 3 semesters before beginning nursing school were 12 and 13 hour course loads. I got in. 12 hours is still considered full time, so it shouldn't be a problem.

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Specializes in Cardiology and ER Nursing.

Nobody cares how many credits you take per semester.

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I took a single A&P 2 course for the fall semester and no courses for the spring semester (since I had everything down and was waiting on program acceptance) and there was no mention of it when I spoke to one of the program heads and I got in just fine. They just look at the pre-requisite grades.

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I don't think anyone cares. If you were only accomplishing 3 hours a semester, no one would care. It's the grades that matter.

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I don't think it matters at all as long as you get good grades.

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