To everyone else, summertime means freedom. No curfews, no school work, no waking up early. For four short months they can kiss the college student life farewell. But not you. You decided to sign up for a class or two, thinking you’d be productive this summer for once. Now that summer is here and the closest to the sunlight you’ll be is in a seat by the window, you’re starting to realize just how much of a pain summer classes can be. Here’s a few struggles all students taking courses this summer can relate to.
1.You still have homework
This is the one thing that people look forward to the most when summers roll around. Unfortunately for you, May and June will be no different than March and April. You will still have due dates and deadlines, rough drafts and final copies, worksheets and discussion boards. You’re friends will try to sympathize with you but you know the only things they’ll be reading this summer are buzzfeed articles and the only things they’ll be drafting are tweets.
2.No spontaneous trips with friends
Those random invites at the last minute to go to the beach with your squad on Tuesday? You’re gonna have to pass on that one. Wednesday afternoon ice cream cravings? Suck it up, you’ve got class 10-2. If you’re lucky enough, maybe friends will work around your inconvenient schedule, but that kind of ruins the whole spirit of a “spontaneous” trip, doesn’t it?
3.No pre-planned trips at that matter either
Your best friend invites you on her family’s annual trip up to the mountains and you hold back the tears and politely decline because you’ve got 8 a.m.’s Tuesday through Thursday. You then contemplate just how necessary your attendance is, and then you remember that one week is like 15 percent of your grade and your plan falls to pieces.
4.The class is most likely boring…
These classes that you’re taking are most likely the ones that you didn’t want to take during the regular and avoided at all costs. Probably just a gen. ed. that you have no interest in whatsoever, but unfortunately need to take in order to fulfill a degree requirement. And on top of that, as much as your heart isn’t into the class, the professor’s probably isn’t either. They probably would much rather be somewhere else too.
5.…And super intense
A lot of summer courses typically don’t last the entirety of summer—finally! A silver lining—but that generally means that everything that would normally be taught in your standard 12-15 week class is being condensed into just 5 or 6 weeks. This will mean reading entire chapters for every single class and maybe even a paper due every week. Looks like your relaxing summer vacation will have to be put on hold for a little while.
6.You still have to pay for textbook rentals
Just when you thought you could finally stop spending your hard earned cash on college related things i.e. groceries, ubers, school supplies, your professor hits you up with that e-mail listing all the required readings for the class and the textbooks you’ll need to rent. Goodbye spending money, hello Today’s Moral Issues 7th edition.
7.Realizing the good that can come out of the classes
Despite all the negatives that seem so easy to point out about taking summer classes, you’re actually benefitting so much. You’re staying accustomed to that college student life, which will make it a whole heck of a lot easier to transition back into classes when fall semester rolls around. You’re earning credits, which in the long run could potentially even help you gradate early! So what is a summer class or two but a small price to pay for your own future success?
