Helen ZhangPoint: Nah, bro
Throughout my four years at the U of A, I’ve never taken a spring/summer course. I’ve never felt compelled to, and here’s why.
Firstly, summer was often an opportunity for me to move back home from residence and live rent-free. Coming home and shifting from studying to working simply made a lot of sense, as I was able to maximize the amount of money I was getting from my summer job. Thus, I would have a nice, fat stack of cash to help me get through the year once I returned to Edmonton. By doing this, I could take five courses during the school year and not have to worry about finding a job, which I honestly preferred.
Secondly, I’m so burnt out academically by April that the idea of continuing courses into the summer months makes me retch. Sure, I’m typically working full-time in the summer instead, but that’s a whole different kind of labour; you often don’t have to carry your anxieties from work home, unlike school work. I’ll gladly trade one type of intensive labour for another.
Are you someone who needs that break from classes to feel sane? Then don’t take spring/summer courses. Use those four months to build income, enjoy the weather, and give your brain a break.
- Andrew McWhinney
Counterpoint: H*ck yes brother
I have taken spring/summer classes every year, and I honestly prefer the shorter terms to full semesters.
Campus in the summer is a different place than it is during the school year. Your previous semesters spent cooped up indoors avoiding The Cold™ are no more, and when your time in the sun leaves you too hot, you can always retreat to one of the air-conditioned libraries to get some studying done.
If the thought of spending the holidays at home fills you with dread, then spending a whole four months there can sound like a prison sentence. If you’re not taking classes, you no longer have the “ol’ reliable” excuse that you have to be living away from home.
Remember that calculus class that you had to drop? How about the English class that couldn’t fit into your schedule? Well, now you can take them without having to focus on 3 other classes. My grades from the summer terms aren’t the only thing keeping my GPA afloat, but I’d be lying if I said that they weren’t some of my best ones.
So this summer, stay cool and stay in school.
- Nicholas Bombardieri
