This semester, I decided to take four classes (instead of the usual five) to “give myself a break” during my final semester at Wash. U. When I tell my friends this, I’m usually met with a surprised look, as they know that I’m a type-A overachiever much like many other students at the University. But taking four classes during a semester should not be embarrassing or a sign of weakness. Instead, we should standardize four classes a semester; it should be the norm, not the exception.

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about ways that the University could alleviate some of the stress that students experience on a day-to-day basis. We have all enrolled in Wash. U. knowing that its rigor will challenge us, and I do not believe that professors should sacrifice the difficulty of their classes so that students can feel more comfortable. However, the administration does add unnecessary stress by demanding that students take an average of five classes per semester to graduate.

At a majority of our peer institutions that follow the semester model, undergraduate students need to take, on average, four classes a semester to graduate in four years. This includes Harvard University, Brown University, Princeton University, Tufts University, Duke University, University of Pennsylvania, Williams College, Amherst College, New York University, Swarthmore College, and University of Southern California, among others.

While these universities and colleges do not require students to take as many classes to complete a major and graduate, they still produce bright and qualified students every year, proving that students do not need to take five classes a semester to succeed in their career paths or demonstrate their intelligence.

Of course, ambitious students would still take five classes a semester. To complete a double major, students often have to take more classes than the average. But taking five classes a semester to achieve this goal is much more feasible than taking six classes, as a Wash. U. student would have to. When a student takes six classes a semester, they often have to sacrifice mental health, free time, or their grades.

If students had the option to take four classes a semester rather than the standard five, they would have more time to pursue extracurricular activities, hang out with friends, and do their homework in a more satisfactory manner. More students would be able to study abroad or even graduate early, which would ease (at least a little bit) the financial burden of attending Wash. U. These factors could contribute to higher student satisfaction and, more importantly, better mental health.

Additionally, many students enter the university with AP credits and thus can take four classes a semester on average, and this policy penalizes those who could not take APs for any reason. Lowering the requirements could help level the playing field for those who did not have the resources or opportunities to take AP classes or tests in high school.

I am not arguing that students should not take five classes a semester. There are so many fascinating courses at Wash. U. that I wish I had taken during my time here, and students should capitalize on the fantastic professors and classes offered here. However, I strongly believe that students should have the option to take fewer classes for the sake of their finances, mental health, or any other reason, without the penalty of not graduating on time or not completing a second major or minor. My semester taking four classes has not been considerably easier than semesters when I have taken five, but I have noticed that I have more free time, and this has helped me with my mental health.

If the University wants to take concrete steps to increase student happiness and align themselves with peer institutions, it should decrease the demands on students and change the graduation requirements to allow undergraduates to take four classes a semester.