Two things are simple:
1) All med schools have to incorporate the same minimum course material as dictated by the LCME.
2) All students in each class follow the same curriculum. So you don't "compete" for classes like you did in undergrad. All first year students take anatomy at the same time, etc.
Whats different is that med schools have some freedom in the way their curriculum is designed. Most go by "blocks"... basically little stints on one subject that end with an exam. They can be long blocks... 14 weeks for anatomy with 3 exams... or short ones... 3 weeks for genetics with just one exam at the end. Some do quarters, semesters, etc... but every school is different. First year at my school we got lots of breaks and downtime.
As for how many you take at once? I don't know. Its different all the time. There was a time during first year that I had histology, biochem, and physiology all at once. At the end of the year I only had one class, Neurology. Plus you take a clinical foundations course that is mostly hands on examinations, nutrition, etc.
Suffice it to say, you'll be busy. Some times are definitely less stressful than others... but everything I did was manageable. My school has an online calendar that we are responsible to check everyday. Basically, it is subject to change at any moment. Sometimes little gems pop up and I'm surprised, like "hey! I didn't even know I was in this class".
Just roll with it.
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