When people would ask what classes I'm taking, I would usually just pick four or five to tell them. But with recent changes to Washington and Lee University's overload policy, more than a few people have found out my secret: I was taking 23 credits this semester.

At W&L, overloading is taking anything more than 14 credits. Our regular classes are three credits each, labs are four, and there are a bunch of two- and one-credit classes (like film editing, and dance). To overload, you have to write a request that goes through your academic advisor, an academic dean, and possibly the Faculty Executive Committee for approval.

At this point, overloading is second nature to me. During my first semester here, I took 15 credits -- four three-credit classes and three one-credit classes. After that, I felt like I could do it again, so I challenged myself to take 18 credits the next semester. Sophomore year, I took 21 credits each semester. Now, I am getting ready to end a 23-credit load, the maximum that W&L allows.

Before this semester started, I knew it would be my hardest. Twenty-three credits have definitely proved to be a lot, and not all three-credit classes are the same. Going into my finals week, what's my most anxiety-inducing class? Large format photography. I can't study for a little, take a final, and then be done; I actually have to spend a lot of time in the darkroom, perfecting each print and often redoing it multiple times.

The Why

I'd like to think that at the heart of why I do anything is because I want to. Why did I want to take this many classes? Probably because I have a nerdy side, I guess. I wanted to take all of these classes, and with only one full year left, I couldn't figure out any other way.

I have no regrets. While I might have sacrificed getting all A's this semester, I also think that in some classes, an A-minus was probably all I could have hoped for. Some professors are just more subjective than others, and really I will still finish the semester fine. In the end, I'd rather have learned more and gotten a few A-minuses than had to give up taking classes with some of the best professors here.

The How

Handling 23 credits and four to five jobs was a feat that, in retrospect, I too wonder how I managed.

I took two journalism classes, global politics, macroeconomics, methods of foreign language, and photography. I continued with Chinese, for one pass-fail credit, and also was part of the dance company and modern dance class (three credits total). My last credit was one credit for a film editing lab, where I performed a monologue and edited two.

This year, I continued my work-study as a Bonner scholar and kept a job at Phonathon. In September and October, I was a referee for intramural games. I started working at the Tucker Multimedia Center (read: language lab), and I became a Writing Center tutor.

I'm not sure how exactly I stretched my weeks to fit everything in, but getting both monthly paychecks over $600 and good grades was rewarding.

After these 12 weeks, I have learned so much about myself. I gained a better perspective about what matters to me, I made lots of new friends, and I pushed myself and accomplished more than I imagined possible. I made sure to take time for myself and relax, and I made time for my family. But I know that most students cannot and should not do what I did. It's hard -- and it takes a lot out of anyone.

Next semester, I will probably overload again -- but I am waiting to see what my final grades are before I determine exactly how many credits I will try to take. After all of my past semesters, I can't imagine what it would be like to take just four classes. I also want to make the most out of the full scholarship I received.