I am spending this summer taking classes at BU, a decision that I thought about for a long time before I committed to it. A lot of people told me not to, as I would be “wasting my summer.” Although I won’t be spending as much time at the beach as I may like to, I think that these classes will help me a lot in the long run. Here’s why.
I have never been good at math. Every math class I’ve taken since elementary school has gone badly for me. When I got to BU and saw my math requirement, I wanted to ignore it for as long as possible. I knew that trying to pass a statistics class while also studying for the three other classes that I take in a semester would be impossible for me, which is how I came to decide on taking summer classes.
I need to take two statistics courses in order to fulfill requirements for both general education credits and my psychology major. I have never taken a statistics class before, so believe me I am nervous.
For summer session 1, I will be taking Statistics 1 and a Spanish course about art and literature for my Spanish minor. Summer session 2 will be when I take the hardest of my two math requirements, Statistics 2. Although I may be spending my entire summer doing math, the pros heavily outweigh the cons.
1. It is so much easier to get extra help during the summer.
Summer classes usually have a much lower enrollment, which means that there is more one-on-one interaction with the professor. The office hours are less crowded, and I will have the time to get a tutor if I end up needing one.
2. More time to study outside of class.
I am only taking 2 classes at a time this summer, rather than my usual four, meaning that outside of my class times, I have fewer assignments to worry about. This will give me time to study days, or even weeks, ahead of an exam.
3. Longer classes.
This may sound like a bad thing, but for me, it is a blessing in disguise. Usually, in my 50-minute classes, I am distracted for the beginning and then by the time I am focused in on the material, the class is basically over. All of my classes this summer are two hours long, meaning that I will be able to focus on what is being taught to me for longer periods of time, which will (hopefully) make me take better notes.
4. Class isn’t every day!
I only have classes 3 days a week, meaning that I can still find time to do fun summer activities and spend plenty of time outside. During a typical semester, I have class every day for multiple hours, so by the time I am done with classes and homework, the day is coming to an end.
This summer is definitely going to be stressful, but if I take these classes, I will be eligible to graduate a semester early, something that I have wanted to do since I got to BU. I am actually really excited to spend the summer on campus and see what BU has to offer at a time that I am not usually here.
Cover photo credit: Boston University
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