We get it, you toiled and strained over the long spring semester; now you want a break. Too bad. There are no breaks for college students.
Summer isn’t for lazing about anyway. Only high school students get to waste time sleeping in, browsing daytime television and tanning for melanoma. College students get part-time jobs and summer classes.
Classes for the 2012 summer sessions one through three kicked off on June 4. Procrastinators need not worry, the fourth summer session starts July 9.
One important thing to note is the cost; a class in the summer costs as much as a class in the spring or fall, and your scholarships might not apply. Rest assured though, the summer still holds a few perks.
For one, you might graduate on time. Taking a summer class gives you an ace in the hole when you need to drop a class in the fall or spring. Also, a class in the summer can aid retention between the spring and fall semesters, especially for those who lack the willpower to study voluntarily.
Quick note on reality: Don’t fool yourself into thinking a bite-size summer session is easier than the same class in the fall or spring. Course work is no joke; professors still assign essays and online classes post weekly quizzes. You will work projects. There will be homework. The midterm and final will creep on you like a thief in the night.
Summer classes are work intensive. If you work 40 hours a week with a boss who loves to dole out double-shifts, do not sign up for college algebra at 8:30 in the morning five days a week.
You can work part-time, you can have a love life and you can take summer classes, but you’re not going to balance them without an alarm clock and some cold hard determination.
If you can manage that, and if you’re willing to take a hit to the pocketbook, summer classes can be an excellent way to knock some of those core credits out a little early.
