Is your summer going to have more homework than pool time? The school year may normally fall between August and May but there are advantages to taking classes during your summer months. Here are four reasons you made a good decision by spending your summer studying:
Your Plans are Made Possible
Do you need to get in a nearly impossible combination of classes to finish your collection of degrees, majors, and minors? Summer sessions and intersessions enable you to achieve your educational goals. Summer classes also relieve pressure from your fall and spring semesters—you have more room than eight semesters to fit in your needed classes.
New Experiences
Sometimes summer terms offer you opportunities you don’t have during the fall or spring. Two years ago, I spent June at the SMU-in-Taos campus. Both courses I took—Aquatic Biology and a management course—were taught by professors who don't normally teach undergraduate classes at SMU. My management professor only teaches MBA students during the school year and my biology professor teaches at a university in South Carolina. Both classes took advantage of our campus's location. My management class took a field trip to Taos Pueblo, and we waded in streams to collect and study fly larvae in Aquatic Biology.
I was also a marketing intern for the Town of Taos during the term. In my internship, I promoted tourism to the town through a Facebook contest for a customized Taos vacation. I also forged friendships with other students I would have likely never met on SMU's main campus during the school year. Looking back, my month in Taos was my favorite undergraduate experience.
Complete a Semester in a Month
Have you ever been burnt out by a semester shortly after midterms? Month-long summer terms are a quarter of the length of normal semesters and intersessions in May and August are even shorter. Though your classes meet longer, their pace ensures the semester doesn't drag on. Furthermore, summer classes can save you money since they are often less expensive than the same credit hours taken during the spring or fall.
Graduate Sooner Rather than Later
This point feeds off of "It Makes Your Plans Possible"—taking classes over the summer can make it possible to graduate a semester or whole year early, allowing you to save money and start your career or postgraduate plans sooner. Similarly, if you won't be able to finish your credits to graduate in May, summer courses allow you to graduate in August instead of December or the following May.
by: Paige Witthar
