Summer is typically a time to relax and unwind, but many college students are choosing to spend that would-be break in the classroom and, it turns out, that's a pretty wise decision.
Forgoing sun, sand and surf may sound like a sacrifice until you consider all the benefits of burying your nose in a book. Attending summer courses is becoming an increasingly popular way to while away the warm weather months for several key reasons.
"Taking classes during the summer offers an opportunity to catch up, get ahead or ensure that you'll graduate on time," said Robert D. McCaig, Ed.D., vice president of enrollment management at Monmouth University.
Graduating within the four-year time-frame represents a significant financial savings when compared with taking a fifth or sixth year, said Rory McElwee, Ph.D., vice president of enrollment and student success at Rowan University. Student loan debt mounts rapidly during those extra years; scholarships, good for four years, cease; and potential wages students could have been earning had they finished on time are lost. For these reasons as well as others, the Glassboro-based university makes it a priority to impress upon students the importance of taking 30 credits per year when pursing a major that requires 120 credits to graduate.
With five summer sessions to choose from at Monmouth University, courses run for either four, six or 12 weeks. Above, the School of Science hosts a summer research symposium.
"If your major is something like engineering, which requires more than 120 credits, you have a double major, or you've switched majors, you may be a good candidate for taking summer courses," McElwee said, adding that students work closely with their advisers to avoid any negative "surprises" at what they expect to be the end of their college careers. "We talk about some strategies you can use if your intention is to graduate in four years and taking summer courses is part of that strategy."
In addition to those advantages, McCaig pointed out that many students prefer to take their more rigorous courses during the summer months when they can give them their full attention.
"Students take subjects such as anatomy and physiology or organic chemistry when they can focus and have fewer distractions," he said, noting that during the summer, students have the time to get to know their professors and classmates on a deeper level than they might during the school year, when they're juggling multiple other classes.
Also, as the job market grows increasingly competitive, students are expected to complete internships while maintaining stellar GPAs, McCaig said. Spreading out the workload over the course of the year makes life a bit less stressful for busy students. For many, handling 15 to 18 credits a semester while commuting to a two-day-a-week internship in Manhattan is extremely challenging. Having the opportunity to take a class or two during the summer allows students to expose themselves to the working world without watching their grades drop.
"If a student works a significant number of hours per week, taking fewer credits during the fall and spring terms and making up a couple of classes in the summer can help students to stay on track for graduation while leaving time to work year-round," McElwee said.
In recent years, Monmouth University has seen dozens of incoming freshman get a jump on the school year by taking a class or two during the summer, McCaig said. Not only are they earning credits toward their degree, they're minimizing those possible first-day jitters and any confusion in terms of finding the correct buildings.
"This way, they can comfortably hit the ground running in the fall," he said.
As taking classes during the summer offers number of benefits, institutions of higher learning are expanding their offerings. Danielle Truppo Colbert, associate director of undergraduate admission at Monmouth University, explained that the Long Branch-based school presents students with more than 250 course options, ranging from humanities and the sciences to business and beyond. With five summer sessions to choose from, courses run for either four, six or 12 weeks.
"Monmouth also has members of the local community take advantage of summer courses," Truppo Colbert said. "It is a great chance to learn something new. We also have many visiting students who live locally join us over the summer and then transfer the credits back to their home institutions. It is a convenient way to keep moving forward for them, while still being able to spend the summer at home."
— Elizabeth Alterman
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