College students study through summer to save time, money
It’s not uncommon for some college students to spend their summer vacations the same way they spend the regular college semesters — in a classroom studying and writing papers.
To most of them summer school is not a punishment but rather an opportunity to get ahead on their degrees, catch up on credits or even save money in the long run.
Delaney Purcell, a junior exercise science major at Slippery Rock University, is taking a class this summer that will not only open the doors to future internships and jobs but will allow her to save on fees for a needed certification.
“With this class, the (oncology instructor) certification exam is $100 in the summer instead of $2,200,” Purcell said. “It's a big time-saver and it's pretty rare to have this opportunity in undergrad because the certification is offered during the summer.”
According to a March news release from SRU, the university offers more than 500 summer classes from May 11 to July 26, including many that are held fully online.
Butler County Community College is offering 172 courses throughout the summer, a spokesperson said through an April news release, and many are offered in online or hybrid formats.
Keenan Holko, of Butler, said she changed majors from nursing to business administration after a few semesters, so she is taking two summer courses in order to avoid attending an extra semester.
“I am taking the summer course to speed up the process to not have to go in the spring,” said Holko, who attends BC3. “I have never taken a summer course in my life, and I am nervous but in the same sense really excited because I want to get my degree and graduate.”
Holko also said she works a part-time job to support her schooling, and by taking on a condensed schedule with summer courses she is able to continue to work regularly and get her degree.
“If you are on a time crunch I definitely think it's worth it,” she said. “I want to go to school close to home and work because I really rely on it for the money.”
Summer courses also benefit non-traditional students, who often take classes on different schedules or formats than 18- to 22-year-olds.
Heather Finecey, a BC3 parks and recreation management major from Slippery Rock, is a full-time bridal consultant and mom. Additionally, one of the classes she is taking this summer is only offered in May, June and July.
Overall, she said the availability of summer courses is helpful, giving her the ability to set her own schedule.
“It knocks the classes out of the way and (allows) you to graduate sooner,” Finecey said. “That's time managing for my own family and my full-time work life.”
Elizabeth Tracy, of Cranberry Township, is taking four classes this summer for her degree in health care science at BC3 on top of working two jobs. To her, it’s about getting the credits.
“I'm looking forward to getting them done and out of the way, not having to worry about them in the future,” Tracy said. “Everybody was saying I would be overwhelmed but I'm willing to push through it.”
The news release from BC3 also said 230 guest students and 757 BC3 students attended its summer 2021 sessions. Students transferred nearly 900 summer credits to other institutions around the country, according to the release.
Madison Paxson, of Wellsville, Ohio, took a three-credit course at BC3 in summer 2021 to transfer toward her bachelor’s degree in accounting at Youngstown State University. She said she needed to complete a prerequisite class in the summer to take a class in the fall at her home college.
“It was the beginning of summer, and it was really going to push me back for the fall semester,” Paxson said. “I didn’t want to wait any longer and was trying to get the course done.”
Finecey, who plans to transfer to SRU, said the ability to transfer credits is another benefit to taking summer courses at BC3.
And while Purcell said taking summer classes will open up opportunities in her field of study, she won’t be missing out on other aspects of the typical summer of a college student.
“I do have a part-time job and I will get some job shadowing hours as well,” Purcell said. “At one point I'll be on the beach while doing classwork.”
