As the spring semester comes to a close, the option of summer school is a hot topic between students and advisors.
Summer classes begin a little over a week after finals end, and they squeeze one semester of work into six weeks. There are multiple classes offered at IUSB during the summer, and students can choose to take classes during half of the summer or all throughout the summer.
“I regularly advise current students with good GPA’s into summer courses,” said Christine Chmielewski, an academic advisor for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. “It is an excellent opportunity for them to move toward degree completion.”
The average major requires a student to take 122 credit hours before graduating. In four years, this averages to 15.25 credit hours each spring and fall semester without summer classes and not including prerequisites.
Degree completion is only one of the many benefits of taking summer classes.
Chmielewski added that students can focus on one class at a time during the summer, if they choose, and can really perform well.
Sophomore Christie Pierce prefers to take more challenging classes for summer school in order to perform better.
“It’ll be easier to focus on one class that’s going to be hard for me,” she said. “I like to take my fun, easy classes during the semester when I’m also taking hard classes, instead of just taking hard classes through the fall and spring.”
Summer school allows students to complete pre-requisites and general education requirements as well.
“This allows students to focus more on their major level courses during the semester,” said Douglas McMillen, from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Summer school also can be a good time for students to take electives to fill the credit hours necessary, but without losing the relaxation of summer vacation.
Though course offerings are limited in the summer, sophomore Cale Harnish has found interesting classes to take that he felt didn’t keep him from having a fun summer while catching up on credit hours.
Harnish has taken philosophy and jazz dance in the past, and plans on taking a class in poker and a digital photography course this summer.
“I try to take fun classes over the summer so I feel like I still have a summer,” he said. “I’ve heard of people taking Physics 1 and 2 over the summer. I would never do that.”
Of course, there are disadvantages to summer school also. In addition to limited course offerings, squeezing a regular semester’s worth of information into six weeks can be stressful and overbearing for students.
“For students considering taking courses both summer sessions,” said McMillen, “they should consider the demands of taking courses year round – will they burn out?”
