Getting ahead, or Catching up

You can easily get a leg up on your peers by signing up for one or two courses this summer. No, you don't have to take a full schedule, but a few hours a week isn't going to kill you when you'd probably be sleeping or tanning anyway. Trust me, you'll thank yourself later when you would be taking the classes and you have extra time.

Credits, Credits, Credits

The more credits you have, the sooner you'll get to graduate or take an easier course load senior year when classes are supposed to be the hardest. It's always nice to come back to school and have a few more credit hours under your belt, so you can actually enjoy your semester instead of spending all-nighters at the library where your only friends are your books.

It could raise your GPA

... or potentially destroy it. Depending on if you actually put in the work during the summer and TRY in your classes, it could be a huge GPA booster that could help you out if you struggled some past semesters, or give you a step up if you're planning on taking a hard schedule in the future.

It will make coming back to your school routine a bit easier

Ever come back after a carefree summer break and barely be able to get up for your 11 a.m. class? We've all been there...unless you're pushing yourself to get up during the summer or spending a decent amount of time on work during the week, it will make things so much easier. Plus you can get all those bio and math classes out of the way so you don't have to fret about them during the school year. So work now=naps later.

You could study abroad without a penalty

Typically, if someone chooses to study abroad, then they are setting themselves back a semester or even a year because international universities don't always offer the correct transferable courses or don't have exactly what you're looking for. But it's worth it to spend three months in Italy or London right? Wrong. Unless you get ahead when during the summer and take classes so you won't fall behind and not get to graduate with all your friends who stayed on campus.

You could meet new people, or take an online class if you're on the go

Why not take the chance? You could potentially make new friends for life. You can help each other out in the class, or inspire each other to take summer classes in the future together. The possibilities are endless. Also, if you already have a job or internship lined up, there are always online classes, and when are they convenient! You can still sit out on the beach while getting your work done at the same time. Thank you technology.