The heat is on. Well almost, anyway. In about four weeks, students will have walked out of their last spring final, ready to take on whatever summer may bring. Can I get a big ‘woohoo!’ from you all? Traditional summertime images include old friends catching up, swimsuits and beaches, career opportunities, family excursions, kids playing in sprinklers … you know the scene.
The bottom line is that the summer is known for allowing many students the time to do things they didn’t have a chance to do before. But not everyone accepts this homework-free time period; some choose to — get ready for this one — take summer classes.
Of course, many who choose to take the shortened courses don’t intend to give up the summer excitement. They often still plan to maintain a summer job, hang out with friends and participate in every fun-filled weekend adventure they can. Unfortunately, this kind of wishful thinking can be completely shot down once students find that summer classes, which include longer hours, daily homework and intense testing schedules, will pretty much take over every day of the month. There won’t be much time for the popular summer events. Before committing to the shortened courses, students should do some research and know exactly what they’re getting into.
Taking summer classes is a great way to catch up with credits or to get some classes out of the way, but anyone thinking about registering for the four-week sessions shouldn’t plan on devoting themselves to much else. Teachers who have taught summer courses are aware of some students’ unrealistic goals to accomplish more than what is feasible during the summer season.
“It’s really easy to get behind in a four-week summer course,” said John Lukacs , an anthropology professor who has taught summer courses for more than 15 years. “The biggest problem is that people get into it with the attitude of, ‘Oh it’s just another class’ and forget that the goal is to do three months in only four weeks. I’ve had students taking 18 credits and then not having time to do all their work. There are lots of people who see [summer school] as a way to finish up and consequently overload themselves and then become disappointed when they don’t pass. It’s incredible what people think they can do.”
James Long, a chemistry instructor who has taught summer classes for more than 10 years, agrees that the intensity of classes doesn’t allow students to take on too much work.
“(Students) can’t treat summer school as a regular term,” Long said. “For example, no one should take three courses. Students who try to take extra classes have trouble because that’s too much information in too little time. My students probably spend two of the three days’ break (between classes) studying.”
Summer term is also not like spring, when students feel all right about the sunshine enticing them to stay outside and skip a few classes here and there. Usually a class absence every now and then isn’t the biggest deal in college, depending on the class and circumstance. But skipping one class period in summer is almost the equivalent of missing three days.
Courses do vary and there are sessions that run eight weeks or 11 weeks, but it’s the four-week sessions that will get you. Because of the intensity, these summer classes need extra focus and attention. This can take away from some of the classic summer opportunities, such as making that extra wad of cash at a full-time job or having that summer fling.
So there you have it. These perspectives shouldn’t discourage anyone from taking summer classes, because they’re actually very beneficial if students are willing to work hard and make some summer sacrifices. But prospective students should take all facts into consideration so that they don’t find themselves burnt by more than just the summer rays.
“The first day of classes I give my students a little spiel,” Long said. “I tell them that they can’t work more than 20 hours a week and also can’t be falling in and out of love during this time.”