By Tracey Squaire
Graphic by Nicole Durst
If you’re reading this, it likely means that you were either desperate enough, foolish enough, or brave enough to take summer classes. Don’t worry, though, these quick tips will help you to survive the summer semester fully intact.
First of all, don’t treat the summer semester like it’s a regular semester. It’s not. This is a fast paced, hit-you-in-the-face kind of semester, so be prepared to toughen up because you’ll be working hard.
Classes can last between an hour and 35 minutes to three hours and 20 minutes, depending on what session and classes you choose to take. If you decide to take more than one class at the same time, you’re going to be looking at a lot of warm summer days spent inside of cold classrooms.
Don’t underestimate summer classes. Be cautious, especially if it is your first time taking summer classes. They can be harder than you think and you can burn out quickly if you’re not prepared. You might think it’ll be easy going, but the summer semester is just a regular semester condensed into a few short weeks.
So, if you feel overwhelmed during a regular semester, plan ahead even more so than usual for this fast paced semester. That way, you will have more time to do work without having to stay up until 2AM every night with your textbooks and laptop.
Say goodbye to your free time. If you’re taking summer classes, that means you’re serious about school. That means pretty much everything else will be taking a backseat for the few weeks that you are in class.
Instead of lamenting over your loss of freedom, just be thankful for the fact that classes don’t last the whole summer. You’ll be relaxing on the beach with friends in a few short weeks as reward for all of the hard work you did, and you will be that much closer to earning your degree.
Be aware of deadlines; they’re much closer than you realize. When your teacher assigns you homework in the summer, it’s due the next day! Don’t put off doing the homework or studying. You’ll regret it, especially when you realize how little time you actually have. Summer semesters are either six or twelve weeks, so you could be having midterms with only three weeks to prepare. If that happens, you’ll really wish you hadn’t binged the latest episodes of “House of Cards” on Netflix instead of studying.
Take care of yourself. School is important, but taking care of yourself is even more important. You won’t be doing yourself any favors if you pass out from exhaustion. Remember to stay hydrated during the hot, summer days.
Be sure to bring lots of food to eat; classes last a long time in summer and your stomach will surely be complaining by the end of the day. You don’t want to be stuck eating Subway four days a week.
Summer classes might seem scary at first, but if you’re dedicated to studying and keep these tips close to hand, you’ll be fine. One last tip: anticipate rain and bring your umbrella. Here in Florida, a summer downpour can occur when you least expect it.