When June and July become more about textbooks and tuition than sun and surf, you might be in summer school.
While hitting the books during the warm months isn’t always fun, it’s not all bad either. Kate Keddington, an academic counselor at the U, said it often helps students graduate quicker.
“Summer school is the easiest way to complete the hours,” she said. “I think most students either need to take a summer or add another semester [to complete enough credits].”
In order to complete a bachelor’s degree, students need a minimum of 122 credit hours. Keddington said for many students that is too many credits for just eight semesters (or the typical four years of college).
The U offers summer courses from May through August. Students like Jamie Sciammarella, a senior in biology, can use the classes to complete final requirements for graduation. He walked with his graduating class in May, but has a few credits to finish up this summer.
“I want to be done, and summer seems like the best solution as opposed to going back again in the fall for a heftier semester,” he said.
But Sciammarella also said it’s not necessarily the easiest solution. He advises younger students to fill credits sooner rather than later.
“Take summer classes earlier if you think that you might need it,” he said. “It would’ve been easier for me to get it done sophomore year then right now when I already have the mindset that I graduated.”
@JulianneSkrivan