By Kimberly Bogers
When a college student thinks of summer, there are a variety of things that could cross his or her mind: spending time at the beach, hanging out with friends, taking on another job to earn some extra money, going on a road-trip or sleeping-in. However, along with some of these thoughts, students might also think of the college courses they are going to be taking over the summer.
Some college students are tentative to take classes over the summer, since summer semester classes are quite short compared to fall or spring classes. In the summer, Session A classes last from May 12-August 6 (12 weeks); Session B classes last from May 12-June 23 (6 weeks); Session C classes last from June 10-August 6 (8 weeks); Session D classes last from June 24-August 6 (6 weeks).
If a student only takes one or two courses, then the shorter term isn’t much of a concern. However, taking a full course load over the summer without planning a schedule accordingly could end up with a student having too much on their plate and ruining the summer.
Students still considering whether or not to register for summer courses, or trying to decide whether or not to add or drop a course or two, should take their schedule into serious consideration. It would be extremely stressful to take on a full course load of summer courses and realize halfway through the semester that it is going to be virtually impossible for one to successfully complete classes.
Despite providing less time to learn about the class material and complete the assignments, the shorter term could be looked at as a good thing. If a student only takes “easy” classes over the summer, then getting a full course load out of the way in a 6-12 week period could help them reach their goal of earning a degree much faster than if they opted out of taking summer courses.
The last days to register for classes, drop or add classes, request a refund, request pass/fail or request audit status have different deadlines depending on the Session. For Session A and B the deadline is May 13; for Session C the deadline is June 11; for Session D the deadline is June 25.
There are two national holidays observed during the summer class schedule: Memorial Day and Independence Day. In observance of Memorial Day, the college is closed on May 25. In observance of Independence Day, the college is closed on July 2.
If students are going to finish up all of their required credits in the summer, make sure to remember that Pensacola State College does not hold a Summer Commencement Ceremony. If they want to participate in graduation, they need to register for either the Spring Commencement Ceremony or the Fall Commencement Ceremony. Applying for graduation is easy, simply log onto Spyglass and submit a Graduation Application.
