By the time finals roll around at the end of the spring semester, you are probably anxious to finish your exams and jump into summer. It’s finally time to relax, get a summer job to save up some money, travel, intern or volunteer. While these are all sensible ways to spend your summer vacation, taking summer classes is a great alternative. Here are a few reasons why you may want to consider taking summer classes:
Graduate Faster
This is one of the top reasons why students choose to take summer classes. Most students who take summer classes are successfully able to reduce their college career by a semester or two. If you fell behind one semester, or want to complete your degree faster, summer classes will be the push you need to complete your requirements sooner than planned. Although some classes have limited availability during the summer, depending on your major, this is the perfect time to take those general education courses you’ve been putting off. Regardless of the reason, whether it’s financial, personal or the need to retake a class, you will spend less time in school by taking summer classes.
Get It Over With!
Is there a certain course you have been dreading to take? If you want to get it out of the way as soon as possible, then you should consider taking it over the summer. Summer courses are eight weeks long, meaning you can get through the class and still have a few weeks to enjoy your summer vacation. Some students work better in shorter terms and would rather spend a few weeks intensely studying rather than spreading the work out over the course of a few months.
Personalized Learning
Smaller classes are something we emphasize at Florida National University (FNU). Many students thrive in educational settings where they receive more attention from professors and increase their interaction with other students. Although smaller classes are the norm at FNU, students may find that classes are even smaller during the summer. This cultivates an intimate and more relaxed environment that helps students better understand the course material while allowing the professor to recognize each student’s strengths and weaknesses.
Reduced Class Schedules
This is particularly beneficial to those students who have other responsibilities during the school year. Whether it’s a full or part-time job, or a family to take care of, some students need that extra time during the semester. Taking summer classes can reduce the size of your class schedule during the fall and spring, making it easier to balance your commitments and obligations.
Keeping Your Mind Fresh
Since summer classes tend to start within a few short weeks after the end of spring semester, transitioning back to the school year in the fall may be easier for students who continued their studies during the summer. Even though students can’t take as many classes as they normally would, minimizing gaps in learning will keep your mind fresh throughout the year.
Maintaining a Routine
Some students have the tendency to change their entire schedule around once summer break rolls around. If you are used to being productive during the school year, summer classes can help maintain your work ethic. This way, when Labor Day rolls around, you won’t dread starting school again!
Are Summer Classes Right For Me?
You may have heard that summer classes are harder than the ones offered during the traditional school year. There is no uniform answer to this question because it is entirely contingent upon each student’s learning style and personal preference. Since course material is condensed in summer classes, some students may find the pace overwhelming and hard to keep up with if they are trying to balance school with a job and/or internship. Ultimately, each student knows which learning environment suits them best and must make this decision based on past experiences in the classroom while also evaluating what they hope to achieve with each class taken.
Summer Classes at Florida National University (FNU)
Florida National University offers two sessions of summer classes for both brick-and-mortar and distance learning programs. Courses range from General Education requirements to major specific topics. Like our traditional school year, most courses are scheduled as either three or four-hour sessions, held Monday through Friday, anytime, from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Class schedules vary with each program. For more information on class scheduling at FNU, contact your Academic Advisor today!
Works Cited
Frost, S. (n.d.). What Are the Benefits of Taking Summer College Courses? Education. Retrieved from http://education.seattlepi.com/benefits-taking-summer-college-courses-1006.html
Summer School: The Fast Track. (n.d.). Summer School advantages, including accelerated classes, earlier graduation, tuition discounts, from CourseAdvisor. Retrieved from http://resources.courseadvisor.com/online-learning/summer-school
