Summer is such a happy time filled with lake days and sandy vacations – unless you have a summer class. Every semester that I’ve been in college I’ve worked as hard as necessary to make sure that I didn’t have to take a dreaded summer class. I was ready for my third summer of a complete three month break, not having to worry about due dates or using actual brain power, but as I had feared, my time came, and I was forced to drop major time and money on not one, but two summer classes. So here I am, finishing my second summer class, and while they were both annoyingly time consuming and stressful, I’ve come to appreciate them, and here's why:
They boost your GPA: If you had a less than perfect fall or spring semester taking a summer class and getting an A can raise your GPA, which may also help you keep your scholarships. When you’re only focusing on one or two classes, compared to the typical four or five you take during regular semesters, you’re able to put more time and effort into doing well. This is also a good time to retake that class you failed and get grade forgiveness.
They fly by: It may seem terrible at first knowing that a whole month of summer will be spent on one (or more) classes, but the time really does fly by. Before you know it you’ll be finished with the class and all the whining and work is behind you.
You can get ahead: If you were to take just one or two classes each summer of college you could give yourself some wiggle room later on and can utilize the open spaces in your schedule to get in more electives for your major, or take a lighter class load your last semesters to reduce stress or free up time for an internship.
They give you something to do: Some of my friends who aren’t working or doing anything this summer have actually told me they wish they had taken a summer class so they’d at least have something to do. Plus, it’s not like you’re doing the work for nothing, it’s actually a really great use of your time. Even if you’re like me and working, seeing friends and family and binge watching OITNB, you probably still have a lot of free time. So why not at least try to be productive and do some homework?
They keep you in the school mindset: That was probably really annoying of me to say and I know, May through August is supposed to be spent doing everything but thinking about school. But when the fall semester finally rolls back around, it’s so hard to get back into the swing of things. If you had just finished a class in June or July you can likely easily locate your backpack and its belongings, and the first day of classes won’t come as such a shock.
You can still travel and have fun: With a way lighter class load you’ll still have plenty of time to work and play. A lot of summer classes are offered online, and if you’re self-motivated and don’t mind teaching yourself, this is the perfect way for you to finish up class and still go on vacation. If you prefer in-class lectures you may not get the luxury of being able to take a real vacation, but you can still enjoy your summer nights and weekends. Either way, time management is key.
Sometimes they’re easier: The subject itself may still be complicated and trying to finish an entire class in a month can be overwhelming, but from my experience with the classes I took this summer, the workload was much lighter than my professors’ fall or spring classes. With a shortened time to cover everything a lot of professors will leave out the lengthy projects and papers, or at least condense assignments for the summer sessions.
You'll have access to the campus gym: As long as you're enrolled in a class UCA allows you to have access to the HPER. So your summer class can help you maintain your summer bod.
To sum it all up, homework in July sounds almost as bad as getting a real job after graduation, but both are often necessary and beneficial.
