When you think about whether or not you should stay and take summer courses there are a few things to consider. These are: money, internships/summer jobs, and continuity.
Firstly, do you have the money to stay for summer? Summer tuition is typically discounted at 10% the regular cost for credits. For flight some classes are rumored to be free over the summer. However, you will then need to live either on campus or in the local area as well as paying for a meal plan or buying your own groceries. This can be costly for summer tuition, but pair this with a job or any leftover loan money and your summer tuition should be a breeze to pay.
The second possibility that you must consider is if you will receive a full time summer job or internship. I highly encourage you to go out for internships even as a freshman, several freshman that I know were accepted for internships this year so you could be next!! Internships will provide you with a wage or salary and many also fund your room and board with allowances each month whereas a job serves only as a source of income and often will not provide these monthly allowances. If you are taking courses over the summer a job is great but only part time. If you are hired for a full time job it is advisable that you find a cheap place to live or perhaps save money by staying with friends or family, you can contribute with grocery money or odd jobs around the house rather than paying the rent. The money you earn from either of these options can go straight into your tuition for next year, and if used in this manner it can also be deducted from your taxes as going toward your education.
The last and in my opinion one of the most important aspects you must consider when choosing whether or not you should stay over summer is continuity. This is basically continuing your education and studies so that you do not loose any of your skills or knowledge over your time away. All the courses you take are building up your knowledge and skill set so that you can continue on into your career with a wide range of facts that you can utilize to succeed. Putting off your education for a semester or even for a summer can set you far back in your knowledge base and you might have to relearn critical elements of courses you took in the last semester you attended school so that you can continue in your course work. This can be very detrimental to your GPA as most students do not look back on their previous courses until the problem is almost unsolvable and they achieve a far lower score than they desired in the course. Furthermore, it can be highly beneficial to take courses in order to reduce the time in which you graduate and to save money on what you would pay for regular tuition as well. However, if you do choose to take a semester off or you are forced to for financial issues there are two things that you absolutely must do:
1. Get a job to help pay the bills, or maybe even two, many college students do this.
2. Continue in your studies, review past material that you covered and prepare for the courses that you will be taking when you return to school.
I hope that these 3 things to consider have got you thinking about your summer plans, it’s not too late to make a decision so don’t let time catch you by surprise. This is your career it is solely in your hands, Good Luck!!
