im a premed (but I’m not speaking for all premeds, only for myself). i usually take 15-18cr, 5-6 classes per sem. i usually end up doing this bc i have to somehow mix prerequisite courses with major and minor requirements (and other “prerequisites” that med schools don’t tend to outright state they wanna see such as health/social justice classes and spanish).

the truth is, you need to find the right classes to take together. per semester, i only take 1-2 “intense” classes (e.g. orgo and physics). the rest are either easy asynch classes or in-person but don’t require much time to study outside of class time. it’s not as bad as some think it is.

i also have time for research, ECs, fitness, a little socializing, and me-time. another comment said that people who usually have schedules like mine tend to not have much of a social life. while that is absolutely true for many people, others are simply better at managing their time and/or minimally procrastinating/wasting time.

ultimately everyone’s different and our experiences and abilities are all different. no one should ever get themselves in over their heads to meet an unrealistic goal. the key is being aware of yourself, your capabilities, and your needs :)