is taking 16 units at a community college too much?

I would go for it. Try to stay ahead, you might even use the break now to get the texts and read some chapters even before school starts. As you get into the semester, if you find that you are doing poorly, then drop one of the classes. Since you likely pay the same full-time tuition rate whether you take 12 or 16 hours you really have nothing to lose.

I used to take 20cr regularly at a community college, but I happen to test well and had aptitude for the classes I took.

You should ask yourself if you expect this course load to be significantly harder than what you took last quarter, and whether or not you can accept getting B's (or even a C) or if you can work harder to maintain/raise your grades.

These courses could be a heavy load for you unless you have very high aptitude for science courses. Most people find organic chemistry to be one of their more difficult courses. I found it to just be tedious and memorization heavy. Difficult to focus, and not too many people seem to have "the knack" for it, although those few that do go on to get PhDs in that area!). A lot of students also lose hope and give up though, so if you put your time in to study and memorize what you can, you should be able to pull a decent grade by riding over them.

Biology is also a memorization heavy course, and the other two could be as well depending on your teachers. I doubt it would be significantly more work than bio 1, so you can use your past judgements as to how much work this would be.

And the others? Liberal arts courses! Destroy by putting a little time in and making sure your history essays are well-proofread by your college's writing center or friends before turning them in.

I think if you're willing to put in 50-55 hours/week into your studies that you should do fine. If you're good with science, maybe less. And if you're not, well, perhaps a bit more. Good luck deciding.

Normally I would say that you should be able to do this & point out that 16 units is barely a full load at some institutions. However, you might rethink your plan. Organic chemistry is known as a make-or-break course; i.e., many a potential med school student has rethought his/her plans after encountering organic. It is extremely tough for the brightest minds who plan on going on in a hard science. I'm not saying that you're not bright; far from it. You're very bright to be considering these issues. It just appears that you have to work hard to keep your grades up. Two lab courses in one semester is tough; however, organic will be easier at community college than it would be at USC, for instance.

Good luck, God bless, & Merry Christmas!

Well considering you don't work or have many responsibilities (which is good that you can just focus on school) I would say you should be able to do it. You have plenty of time to study, you just have to focus yourself.

I had a friend in college that took 20 credit hours with a kid/husband, and a part time job. She ended up with a 3.4 that semester. She was super woman.

It shouldn't be for any college student. IF you are struggling with 15 credits, go get help. Head to the tutoring center at school. try to study with other students from the same class. Re evaluate your study skills