For most college students, summer is a time to kick back, relax, and get a great tan before classes start up again, but for either the perpetually behind or the masochistic over-achievers, summer means summer classes.
That’s right, everyone, people actually use their vacation from school to spend more time in school (myself included, unfortunately). Summer classes are A LOT more fast-paced than during a normal semester, so here is some advice for getting through them.
- Classes don’t mean we can’t have fun, as the fall and spring semesters have taught us. Just because your classes are hard doesn’t mean that you can’t go out anymore. Doing that would be like saying that we can’t enjoy football season during the fall because of our classes, and as everyone knows, that would NEVER happen. Go down town, go to the pool, do whatever you can think of and HAVE FUN!
- With that being said, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT take 8:00am classes. The summer minimesters are only five weeks long, so that means that you will have the same class every day rather than just two or three days a week. Just to clarify, that means that you could have an 8:00 am every day. EVERY DAY. Waking up that early puts quite a damper on going out during the week, so keep that in mind. Personally, I recommend taking classes between the hours of 9:30 am and 1:00 pm, that way you can get to the pool during prime party/tanning hours.
- Keep up with your assigned readings and assignments. Because the semester is so short, a lot of the course material is learned outside of classroom. Skipping out on your assignments will leave you suffering when then end of the semester rolls around. There’s also not much time to make up for bad grades.
- Having the same classes every day can get pretty monotonous, but it also gives you the opportunity to get into a good routine. Get into a schedule where you can hit the gym, hangout with your friends, and still get your schoolwork done. Once you’re in the swing of your routine, it’ll make the less-fun things a lot easier to get done before you go out at night.
- Get to know your classmates and professors. Summer classes are a lot smaller and more relaxed (not academically, but socially) than most classes during the year, so take some time and talk to the people in your classes. Most likely they are in the same major as you, and depending on what major, you probably will have another class with them at some point in the future. Also, if you’re looking for a letter of recommendation, your professors will have more time during the summer to talk to you and actually get to know you than they normally would during the year.
Summer classes can be very challenging, but keep these tips in mind and you’ll breeze through them. Enjoy your summer!
