Starting a new school is always sad for students. At least for college students, they can study whatever they want and for how long they want to, but students are not sure if starting in the summer before the fall semester is a good idea or a bad idea.
Summer classes take place from late April to early August and around four to six weeks long. College freshmen who are undeclared or who don’t know if the major they chose is the one for them can do summer classes. It gives them an opportunity to test out classes that they are interested in. This will allow them to find their passion and not waste time during the fall and spring semesters.
Taking classes over the summer may also benefit their future careers. Some careers may require extra training and taking extra classes will help them get stronger in a particular area, like learning a new program. Students can also get an advantage over other students who want to study the same thing as them.
“I only took summer classes because I had to but it ended up benefiting me. The classes helped me get into other classes that I needed for my future career,” said Maheen Siddiqui, a student at Stony Brook University.
Classes starting in the fall and spring semester tend to be longer; they are usually thirteen to fifteen intensive weeks. Summer classes, on the other hand, are only about four to six weeks. Students tend to only do one to two classes in the summer. This allows students to stay focus on subjects and not have to try to balance three to six classes at once. The only difference is that the fall and spring semester are two to three days a week while summer classes are five days a week.
If you already planned to hang out with friends and family and you were planning to relax this summer, you may want to rethink them. Taking classes will distract you from your plans. Summer classes will take up most of your summer leaving you with about three to four weeks to yourself (depending on when the fall semester begins for your college). Students who applied for jobs and internships will have to decline the opportunities just to attend these classes. And since the classes are only about four to six weeks, being absent isn’t a smart idea.
“Yes, some of my summer plans I had to work around; but I canceled the big ones. It was nice to finally have some free time, but I wish I had my entire summer off instead of worrying about finals,” said Siddiqui.
Starting classes right after the spring semester might be good for some because they are still in the school mode, but for others, it would feel very tiring and like they were attending school all year. Students should also be prepared to pay out of pocket just to attend because college financial aid generally doesn’t cover summer classes.
“Taking summer classes will just stress me out to much. I already have summer plans to go hang out and go to new places with my friends and family. I also want to catch up on all my Netflix shows I missed throughout the year,” said senior Bibi Valenzuela.
Attending more classes will always benefit you in some way or the other. It is your choice if you want to take them during your summer or if you just want to enjoy your free time and relax.
