Two words, Summer School. Those two words just 10 years ago evoked a picture of some miserable student, sitting in an unconditioned room somewhere, counting down the minutes until 3. What was once a last resort has now become a popular option among college students and not for the reasons you would think. Attending summer classes can provide you with many benefits. For instance, many students see summer school as a way to get ahead. It allows you to free up your schedule next semester. In addition, summer school may be the option to satisfy the urge you’ve always had to travel. Either way, after this article, you will never see summer school in the same way again.
All college students have a large share of prequisites they must take before graduating. These standard English, Math, Science and History Classes are seen as the foundation of a well-rounded education. With all the interesting classes offered at your school, it’s a case of too many classes, too little time. Yet, an English 100 or History 150 is holding you back from taking what you want. During the summer, these classes are still offered at many convenient times and will allow you to take the course in a quicker timeframe. Usually 1 month as opposed to 1 semester. Doing so frees up your following semester so you can take more courses related to your major.
Yet if you are like me and somewhat adventurous, another advantage of taking those core classes in the summer is that it will allow you to graduate earlier!! Transferring in 6-9 college credits from your High School is an awesome feat that some students are now managing. Yet with the average A.S. Degree being 60 credits, you have three semesters to complete 51 – 54 credits. Taking a 18 Credit/Hour semester is workable, but I had 15-16 Credit/Hour Semesters and highly recommend them to you as the perfect balance of life and school. Having the option to take 6-9 credit hours of school work during the summer will allow you flexibility when planning your future. Combining pre-college credits with summer classes can get you a good 15 credits (which is exactly ¼ of a 60 Credit, 4 semester program), leaving you with 3 semesters (45 credit hours).
You can also use this time to study at another college. I picked up 9 credit hours of language and a 3 credit hour business class during my summer time. This combined with my High School Experience granted me a total of 18 credits. So my college years of planning were much easier, allowing me to graduate a semester earlier and transfer to my Master Program.
In all, Summer School is not what it used to be. Many students are now realizing the benefits of studying during the summer. Now may be the time that you look at possible summer study as a means to advancing your college program. As usual, if you have any specific questions, leave me a comment and I will be glad to help you plan ahead.
Dylan Swartz
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