eMofx& P*iea*uz*tct4' Qe*tt&id> * * 9 OF BRAZOS VALLEY ttalion A GGIELIFE JPage^^Wednesda^SeWember^ljlQQ^ fiaii : riedson a week, ico portia': s and fc ilia isthai 'stumesti id theii e histor\' letypical, d. uces audii and gov ut Mexio Friedson e want to preciatio mess.” said tlit a celebr \ Matter Df Time [Need to graduate, ting requirements brce students from 12-hour schedules. BY SUZANNE BRABECK The Battalion VIS univn i it is abd e pride o: on said. I o attend iJfe^he arrival of the newest batch n will txl of Aggie rings last Thursday thertimeffl may prove to be motivation iedsoni;:Msome full-time students to in- BalletF rtase their course load from the ■It ovenrftimum 12 hours. Other students show 3- na\ also feel the pressure to take on ■nore demanding course load to , ma ch Jrjduate early, appease their par- vatchtl !nts or t0 break out of the poor-col- " l . - iego-student mode. .F.MAs students plan for graduation |nd ordering their senior rings, borne may opt to increase their course load from 12 hours, which is . rae minimum course load for full time status during the fall and spring semesters. A student who iakes four hours during a five-week hummer semester or eight hours ^■ring a 10-week semester is classi- vasan e. Ami .andv t Folk erfont ic Hi riuir firr® tdkte^fied as a full-time student. ea\ Erin Stanley, a sophomore man- -o, f agementinfomration systems major, Com:' wd students who take only 12 Mexic" ■ ours semester are setting them- ,M AC: ^ ves U P for a long college career, r learafili-tf y ou only take 12 hours every formancJp !er ancl y° u don’t go to sum- ler school you are never going to le thin^ duate ’” StanJe y said - i nnct shortest degree plan offered 11 is 128 hours. The number of ! '' exa! burs degree plans and colleges re- ■e varies, but students who take te local |y 12 hours each semester will not I eing a diploma any time soon, the Texas A&M Undergradu- atalog, many degree plans that moken down by a semester out a course load of up to 19 s a semester. ssica Hartsell, a freshmen po- ■ science major, said her advis- ggested she take 12 hours, am taking 13 hours, and I think joing well because I do not feel i pressured for time,” Hartsell p. “I have no idea how many rs I have to take, but I came in 19 hours, so that helped to re- esome pressure.” uzanne Connell, a junior sociol- QSTftfy major, said the 12-hour mini um requirement may be linked to 30 Dl | nc ^ a ^ ma tt ers for the University. r 1 It is more expensive to take few- Thgf hours in the long run because stu- ^ jits are charged per credit hour for rkeflW an Y fo es - ^ students require more liesters to graduate, they will pay CKKTfl 1 -' 3ase fo es numerous times. -Donald Carter, registrar for ad- Creag& Ijssions and records, said he does 12:30? >t know why 12 hours is set as the ecedent for full-time status. . , “The 12-hour requirement was r info ikii by the federal government and !eral loan programs, professional ociation and insurance compa- s,” Carter said. “All [of them] use criteria, as well. The University make exceptions for some cas- such as co-op students, students irking on an internship and stu nts with disabilities, if the proper ps are taken.” e , Coupon •J, nlyandW';,: vlwe P" 1 '- ry i"*'hi lecopynP"' Brian Pautler, a senior mechani cal engineering major, said he re ceived one credit hour per semester for his internship while maintaining full-time status. “I didn’t really think it was fair, though, because I still had to pay all of the fees as if I was attending A&M, and I was 300 miles away,” he said. “1 had to pay for student computing fees, the Rec Center and every other one you can think of. Also, since my one class cost me $300, the compa ny I was working for paid for my tu ition because they didn’t agree with the policy. ” Connel said taking fewer hours keeps students enrolled in the University longer and it seems that could positively benefit the University. Lashe Ingram, a junior biomed ical science major, said harder class es require more focus from students. “I think 12 hours is sufficient to be considered full-time,” Ingram said. “But it depends on what Idnds of classes you are taking. If you are taking four science classes, that is enough; as opposed to if you are tak ing mainly electives. ” While some students view 12 hours as a small course load, others feel it creates options for more flexi ble schedules. Ingram said there are a lot of fac tors that revolve around picking stu dent’s schedules, such as working, involvement in extracurricular ac tivities and how busy they are. Kellee Walker, a junior psycholo gy major, said time spent in lab is time spent away from classes. “With my major, 12 hours is plenty because I have so many re search hours,” she said. “Plus, I am working part-time, and if I had to take more hours, there is no way I could pass my classes. Since I go to summer school. I’ll still get my ring during football season and graduate in May.” Another consideration some stu dents make when planning their schedules is how much of a time commitment Bonfire will be. Whitney Thrner, Krueger Hall Bonfire co-chair and a sophomore business major, said time spent on activities must be taken away from class time. “I took 13 hours because I knew I would be too busy to take the 15 hours my parents wanted me to,” Tlirner said. “I’ll probably compen sate in the spring. I am planning on being here for more than four years.” Annie Neighbors, a freshmen bio medical science major, said students who rely on a high grade-point ratio for their future plans are inclined to take fewer hours. “I am taking 11 core hours and a kinesiology class because I want to make good grades,” Neighbors said. “I didn’t play sports because my body is worn out, and then in four years I will be left with not very good grades. 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