Should I be taking summer classes to get ahead?
I already have sophomore standing in my freshman year of college, but I feel like I need to be doing summer classes (or at least one class) to stay ahead and give myself time to complete minors and possibly another major in my college career. Would it be beneficial to take a summer class or should I wait? #collegeclasses #summer-class
3 answers
Nancy’s Answer
Hi, Hannah,
Congratulations on almost sophomore status! I think the answer depends on how many credit hours per semester you will have to take without the summer class. It also depends on your finances available. Some students need to earn money to earn their contribution toward their tuition for the regular school year. However, if that is not a concern, a summer class may lighten your load from 19 credits to 16, or 18 to 15, in the following year. My daughter, for example, wanted to only take 4 difficult classes one semester, so took chemistry in the summer. She is glad that she did.
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Emily’s Answer
Hi Hannah,
Conner’s Answer
Hi Hannah,
It was my experience that summer courses were beneficial to accomplishing my goal of being admitted to a graduate accounting program at IU. From my freshman orientation I knew I wanted to do the 3/2 MBA program at the Kelley School of Business. With that knowledge I was able to plan out my schedule to ensure that no single semester was going to be to much to handle. This included taking a full summer session prior to my junior year and one class after my junior year to hit the pre-requisites for my grad program. When I graduated I left with a double major in accounting and finance, a minor in Spanish, and an MBA with a focus in financial analysis. With that said, I would suggest that you try to map out the courses that are required for your major to see how much extra capacity you will have in the upcoming semesters. After that you can start slotting in other potential majors/minors you might want to add on to see how many additional credits you will need to take to accomplish those goals. One additional bit of advice is to not over-schedule yourself if you are working and going to school at the same time. I had one really rough semester because I was working too much. Even if you build out your school schedule perfectly, you still need to keep in mind non-school related commitments (e.g. job, clubs) so your schedule isn't too crazy. Sometimes taking a couple classes in the summer will help alleviate that problem.