“Coming into college you have proven yourself in some way or another during high school-academically or otherwise. Particularly academically, high school for most was characterized by taking the hardest, most intense and challenging courses. However, college is a whole new different field. To begin with, your peers are just as you good as you are and what more, it might not be as much of the complexity at times but the sheer volume of work you have to do which overwhelms you-there are only twenty-four hours in a day after all. In that time, you have to factor in time for your club commitments, some volunteering obligations, maybe work or research hours and a whole lot of other things. As such, be realistic when you make your courseload choice. Not to say take the easiest classes, but have a solid reason for going the extra-mile in taking a challenging course-this might be anything from your deep-seated interest in the area to your personal relationship with a professor. Do not take a more intense class just to “take it”. If you ever look at your transcript, you will notice that what will stand out is not the course name but rather course grade and even if you get a good grade, why not invest the time you dedicated to the more intense course to something else?”- Cosmas