summer classes

What everyone thinks about while in summer classes

For many college students out there, summer is a time to find a job and reconnect with old friends from back home. I used my summer vacations during college to work at a factory so that I could have money for books and other expenses for the upcoming year (as well as to pay off some credit card debt I amassed). But for some students, taking classes over the summer may be the ideal solution to your situation. I know, taking more classes doesn’t sound like a whole lot of fun, but there are some advantages to it.

Advantage #1: Get Caught Up

For those that might have changed majors at some point in college, dual majors, or student athletes who took a few less classes during the season, summer courses offer a great way for you to get caught back up. By not taking summer courses, you might extend your college career another one to two years. While this doesn’t sound too bad considering how much you enjoy college, you may regret that decision when you have to pay for two more years of tuition. If you are in either of the situations listed, you may want to consider summer courses.

Advantage #2: Get Ahead

Maybe you are in the opposite end of the spectrum from those trying to get caught up. Maybe you want to get ahead and graduate a semester or a year early. Taking courses over the summer will definitely help. It doesn’t matter what your motivation is, whether it be lower overall cost or just want to move on with your life, summer courses could be your solution.

Advantage #3: Lower Costs

Obviously graduating in three years as opposed to four or even five years is going to save you money. But in addition to that, many colleges offer summer courses at a fraction of the cost of fall or spring classes. In addition, schools will reduce the cost for living on campus over the summer or even give it away for free. When you add these two expenses up, you could save thousands of dollars.

Advantage #4: Availability

When I was in college and registration opened for the upcoming semester, seniors were able to register first, followed by juniors, then sophomores and lastly freshman. Many times as a freshman and a sophomore, the classes I wanted to take were closed by the time I could register. Summer courses were a way to take those courses without having to wait for them to be free. Since so few students take summer courses, you are almost guarantees to get into the classes you want.

Final Thoughts

These are just a few of the advantages that taking summer courses can offer you. The main reason many students do take summer courses is to get caught up because of changing majors, dual majors or being a student athlete. There are those too that want to save money and/or graduate early. In my next post, I will look at the other side of summer courses and list some of the disadvantages you should take into consideration before making your final decision.