Why do college students choose summer school?

“I’m kind of a dork, and I feel like it took me a long time to get my undergraduate degree,” said Romano, who is taking multicultural psychology and sociological theory. “Now that I’ve got some momentum, I just don’t want to stop learning. I just want to keep going.”

Although Romano was able to find her academic mojo, it wasn’t easy. It took her 10 years to get that undergraduate degree.

“It was a really difficult journey for me. Stopping and going and dropping out. Having financial things and self-doubt,” Romano said. “In my late 20s, I was finally able to really want it. It was all intrinsic, you know, for me to better myself and the community.”

Romano is now using that momentum to complete her master’s degree. She also plans to pursue a second master’s degree to become a marriage and family therapist for people of color.

“I think with Latinx and people of color getting mental (health care), it’s so cultural and historical,” Romano said. “There’s so much nuance to (providing appropriate care) that unless you really study it, how can anyone make a difference?”

Romano feels there are pros and cons to taking summer classes. She looks forward to learning and doing the work. On the other hand, the summer heat is something she would rather do without.

“It’s really hot right now,” Romano said. “Both of my classes are online, so it’s easy for me to log in, but I’m on campus right now because I need to get out of my apartment.”

Reported by Xavier Zamora

“I wanted to get ahead in internship credits since I haven’t really started and to keep myself busy over the summer,” Moreno said. “I always get cabin fever at home, usually during breaks when I have nothing to do.”

Moreno is enrolled in one course for the summer session — COMMS 499, an internship course. For his internship, Moreno assists with running the university internship program for the arts and humanities department.

Moreno said he likes taking courses throughout the summer because “getting ahead (makes) it easier on yourself for the (next) semester.” However, he said that it can be a stressful schedule with a summer job.

Reported by Ally Valiente

“I’m taking Chem 32 and Math 96 right now,” Merino-Aguirre said. “Since I’m an incoming freshman, I wanted to get ahead, be prepared and have a flow of what I can do, and not get lost on campus.”

However, while Merino-Aguirre said that while she sees the pros of summer school in getting a head start and making friends more easily, she also noted that summer school is no easy feat.

“While it’s made the transition from high school to college a lot easier, I also feel like it causes burnout and being lazy, because you don’t really get a break from school.”

Reported by Emily Hamill

“I’m currently enrolled in college algebra, which is Math 96, and integrative biology,” said Flores, who is originally from Los Angeles and fresh out of high school. “So, since I’m an incoming student,:I wanted to get a head start and get to know how it feels to be here so I don’t feel lost in the fall.”

Continued Flores, “Lectures teach you a new thing every day, whereas in high school, they would go over the same topic for like a week. I like how (summer school) has given me a head start in getting used to it.”

Reported by Emily Hamill

“I feel like I don’t learn as much as I do in person,” Phea said of the asynchronous accounting course she is taking over the summer. “Do I retain some of the information? Yes, some — it’s like 50-50.”

This lower division requirement became necessary after switching her biochemistry major to biotechnology.

In discussing the pros of summer school, Phea says she appreciates completing assignments at her own pace while enjoying summertime activities.

She has a preference for taking online summer courses, but she says it can impact her learning.

Reported by Jazlyn Dieguez

“I took them (summer classes) now so I could graduate next semester,” Hernandez said. She is taking two biology classes over the summer session to advance her degree progress and graduate a semester early.

The tradeoffs are what she expected. “The pro is that you graduate early, but I guess the con is that your summer’s kind of busy with school stuff … you don’t get a break,” Hernandez said.

Reported by Layla Bakhshandeh

“In the ceramics program, they actually do a thing where they have a summer course where they don’t really have teachers there, but you can go into the studio and work,” Damian said. “But everybody there is really committed and (they) spend like the entire summer there.”

Damian said she’s taking this class now to build up her portfolio as she starts applying to grad schools while having fun working on this “addicting craft.”

“During the summer we get the luxury of expanding. Normally whenever you build something you have to clean up and put it in your space, but during the summer, you can take over whatever section you want, basically,” she said.

Damian said she likes taking this summer class because “you have so much space, all the resources and you don’t have to do assignments — we can work on whatever we want.”

The only downside of taking this class now is it gets very hot in the art building because it doesn’t have air conditioning yet.

Reported by Ashley Bolter

“I like to have a very chill summer, but I was making my (class) plan and I was like, ‘Wow, to graduate I would need to take like 17-19 units each semester,’” Tawade said.

He is taking physics 8B at UC Berkeley and a discrete math class at a community college this summer, primarily with the goal of graduating with a double major in four years. Tawade said the price of summer classes is a significant drawback — $419 per unit plus a $434 campus fee — but he’s cutting back on costs by taking math at a community college instead of Berkeley.

Tawade noted that he’s taking physics specifically so he can devote more attention to the class in the summer term, which he said is “less painful” than having to balance it with other coursework during the year. The class includes a 90-minute lecture and two hour-long discussions, four days a week.

His courses have been going “surprisingly well,” Tawade said, describing campus over the summer as having “retirement home vibes.” He noted that libraries close earlier and there are far fewer students, but that he enjoys the more personalized attention and resources.

Reported by Clara Brownstein

“I was interested in the (summer) classes but also just really want to go to UCLA,” Sidbiqui said.

She decided to spend her summer away from home in the Bay Area to take oceanography and communication. She’s staying with her sister who lives in Los Angeles and is commuting to campus during her time here.

“I think that (summer school) is not that bad. I know it obviously keeps you in the mindset of studying and taking notes and studying for tests. There’s so much to do outside (of campus). There’s a lot of fun to do in LA.”

Reported by Laura Dux

“I’m able to space out more of my classes, (since) I can take more in the summer and go a little easier in the fall and spring, which helps me out,” Teki said.

Enrolled in two asynchronous courses — global economic analysis (ECON 385), a major class, and ethnic studies, a GE requirement — Teki said she is taking advantage of her school’s summer course offerings.

“Asynchronous classes give me the freedom to do my work at my own pace. (It) is easygoing considering it’s summer, and it’s also easy to make plans on the side,” she said.

Teki’s classes began in May and will run until August, and she spends around 12 hours per week focused on schoolwork.

Additionally, Teki said, “I’m using this (semester) to catch up because I did have a gap semester fall of 2023, so this is definitely a great opportunity for me to catch up on my courses.”

Teki recommends taking more summer classes as long as students are able to balance it with other commitments like a part-time job or internship.

“I play sports as my extracurricular, and the way I’m balancing it out is that I’m trying to work as much as I can during the day and then leave my evenings open,” she said.

Reported by Riya Parekh

“This summer I am taking MUSC 10A: Music Appreciation and AFAM 25: Changing Majority.” Miller said. “I decided to take them now so that I can get some of my GE classes out of the way.”

She feels that there are some pros to taking classes in the summer such as, “taking less credits in the normal semesters,” and “being able to learn year-round.”

Despite being able to get some classes out of the way early, there is one overarching issue that comes with taking summer classes.

“The cons of taking classes during the summer is the cost. Depending on where you go the cost is expensive. Like at SJSU I paid for the five-week courses and it was around $4,000.”

Reported by Maya Pettiford