College in the Trees

NAU, just like most colleges, is not in session in the summer, but for those select few, their schooling carries on. Yes, I am talking about the summer school crowd. Some are taking classes because they just couldn’t pull that passing grade the first time and then there are the students that are taking classes that they need to push ahead in their major (I am proud to say I am in the latter category).

The summer school mentality is quite a shift from the traditional school atmosphere. Classes are four days a week, meaning summer school is always exempt from Fridays. The classes are long to make up for their brief chronological appearance of a scant five weeks.

I, for example, am taking an accounting class that in the regular school year is considered a “killer course” that takes an immense amount of time and effort, but the five-week, summer version is a totally different story. I think I would describe my experience in my first summer school course here as relaxing. Although we are required to learn the same material, there are small compromises here and there in the curriculum that add up to a lot less to learn. Summer school classes also allow you to concentrate on one or two subjects, rather than the five or six in a regular semester. The best part of summer school courses, however, is the brevity of their existence. I started my course in June and I am done on the first of July. For three credits, you cannot go wrong with five short weeks of instruction, after which can be totally forgotten.

Another option for summer school is online. NAU, among other colleges, offer online classes all-year long. For NAU students that want to get ahead can easily sign up for an online class and continue their coursework from wherever they are. I recommend liberal studies courses for online classes, as math-oriented and other conceptual-based subjects do not lend themselves well to an online learning environment, which can cause a good amount of stress in a short period of time.

Regardless of the format, I think summer school is a good idea (especially for newer students) to catch up, get ahead, and in both cases, stay in the learning mentality. Some may say summer school is just a drain and will cause you to “burn out,” but I would argue that if taking the appropriate courses and going into it with the right mentality, summer school can be hugely beneficial.

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