Benefits of Taking Summer Classes

My favorite three things about being in school are:
1. June
2. July
3. August
Summer break. It’s a great time to recover from the stresses of college classes, final exams, and maintaining your social life. It’s can be the perfect time to focus on your social life, getting a tan, and possibly getting a summer job or summer internship so you’ll have some spending money.
Or, you could do something beneficial for your education and take summer school.
Why in the world would anyone take summer classes when they could be relaxing at home, spending time with friends, or earning some cash? Here are my top three reasons why going to summer school is one of the best uses of your time.
1. Graduate sooner. Everyone needs roughly 120 hours of college credit to graduate. If you plan on graduating in four years, that is 15 hours each semester. But, if you dedicate a month or two of your summer break to classes, you can take easier course loads during the semester. You could even graduate ahead of time if you take enough classes during summer break to put you ahead of schedule.
2. Only suffer for a short amount of time. I was absolutely dreading taking a required economics class. I put it off for three semesters in a row, until I realized I could take it during summer intersession. By doing this, I only suffered for five weeks, instead of 16. So, if there’s a class that you just can not sit through for an entire semester, take it early.
3. Don’t kick the habit. You know how lovely it is to have zero responsibilities during the summer. But the first week back is always rough. You have to get back in the swing of things, including early mornings, study sessions, and cramming for exams. If you don’t ever let yourself slip out of the habits required to succeed in school, you won’t have to go through the pain of readjusting. Also, you forget things when you aren’t studying them for an entire summer. Taking a class over the summer will keep you in the practice and help you remember things you have already learned.
And one non-academic related reason to take summer school classes:
1. Make new friends. Whether you stay in your college town or go home for the summer, your closest friends might not be in the same town. Taking summer classes gives you endless opportunities to meet new people and expand your social group, which we already decided was a major aspect of summer break.
Have you ever taken a summer class? How was it? Would you recommend it?
Tell your stories below!