By: Amelia Naughten, News Editor
Summer is the time when high schoolers get a break from their rigorous workload and routines–it’s when we relax and spend quality time with friends and family. It’s also when students get jobs, look for internships, explore new passions, and apply for summer programs. But what happens when the season creeps up on you and you realize you haven’t planned anything at all?
That’s what I was faced with freshman year, when I was new to all the extracurricular opportunities I had around me. By the time most applications were closed, I had just started to understand how the system worked. So instead of applying to programs, I applied myself to college.
The summer of 2023, I took three courses: Astronomy 100, Astronomy Lab 101, and Art History 101. All three were asynchronous courses that high school students in the SMUHSD district could take for free at local community colleges (Skyline, Canada, and CSM). These were condensed, six week classes that I spent my whole summer working through. When August finally came to a close, I told myself I would be more proactive with scheduling next year.
But again, in the midst of preparing for finals and rushing to finish the endless pile of homework and projects late last spring semester, I felt a pang of guilt as I realized that I missed important deadlines.
So again, I took college courses, this time with Human Bio 130 and International Relations 101. Flash forward to the present, and I’ve officially completed my second consecutive summer of college classes. But now I wonder, “Were college courses over the summer worth it?”
Before I share my thoughts, I want to make a disclaimer that there are pros and cons to both sides, and that everyone’s personal situations vary; what may have worked for me may not work for you, and vice versa. So instead, I want to share three pieces of advice I have to help you determine whether this path is worth your while (especially if you’re like me and often find yourself behind on summer planning).
- Act With Intention
First off, I realized that my experiences freshman summer vs. sophomore summer were very different. Freshman year, my whole summer was pretty much free aside from these courses–I had a lot of fun and wasn’t too overwhelmed.
Sophomore year summer was a different story, though. Even though I only took two classes, I felt like I was constantly stacked with work. I also worked at my local art studio and undertook a podcast program. I took these classes because of a “why not” mentality, and my lack of purpose/intrinsic drive negatively affected my experience.
Sharon Zhang (11) took Astronomy 100, Astronomy Lab 101, and Psychology 100 over the summer as a rising sophomore. Like me, they had similar intentions with exploring their interests. They also suspect that taking the courses were a contributing factor to their acceptance into the UC COSMOS program the following year: “It’s good for applying to other programs because I listed the Astronomy Courses I took on my application to get into COSMOS (I took an astrophysics cluster). So it’s a mixed bag, it depends where you take it, what courses you take, [and] who you take it with.” As in Zhang’s case, college courses can provide a wealth of experiences, credits, and other benefits to be applied throughout your academic career, but only if you approach it with purpose.
- Research & Prepare
Summer college courses condense a whole semester’s worth of material into six weeks, and depending on the course you take, the workload over these six weeks varies. When I took Astronomy 101, we had three tests and four hours worth of lectures to watch every week, but those were the only assignments. In Human Bio 130, we had two discussions, three tests, one case study, 5 hours of lectures every week and a midterm/final every two weeks.
Not all college courses are created equal, so it’s important to read course descriptions, email professors, and ask around for recommendations before you sign up.
Zhang noted, “I will say, taking college courses over the summer–because of how short the time frame is–you don’t really retain that information a lot, especially if it’s not something that you’re going to be studying later.”
On the other hand, Naia Germain (11) also took college courses at Skyline over the summer, and shared, “It feels kind of rushed because the teacher has to cram a semester’s amount of work into three months…[But] I’ve also never had a difficult time getting an A because the workload is so light in comparison to the workload from the real school year.” As with any class, workloads vary, so it’s important to make sure you know what you’re getting into before signing up.
- Prioritize & Set Boundaries
As time went on, I found it more and more difficult to focus on the lectures and stay engaged. As soon as I would get home from art, I would sit at my computer for hours until 12am just to be able to watch all the lectures and complete my assignments. I was working myself to exhaustion everyday, and even on the weekends, I barely had time left to spend with family and friends. I never got a “brain break” over the summer, and it definitely wore on me coming into this fall semester.
Rather than focusing on applying myself elsewhere or exploring passion projects, I felt trapped in an endless cycle of work for a subject I wasn’t really passionate about. I struggled with setting boundaries and prioritizing more important things, like my mental health and value time with family. Because summer courses aren’t typically seen as normal school, it’s hard to imagine yourself with the same kind of burnout and stress.
Overall, my best advice if you are taking college courses over the summer is to think in the long-term, and think with purpose. Consider not only academic/credit value, but also the way in which they may affect your personal life. Taking college courses can be a great experience, but not if it comes at the expense of your work-life balance.
