This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Oklahoma chapter.

Even though the dream of summer to most people is beaches, tanning and swimming, there are students who take summer courses, and that is OKAY. Here are some tips to combine summer and school to get to perfect mix of academics and fun.

1. Set Goals

Summer shouldn’t be stressful, so make plans for yourself that you want to achieve. These should be goals in the range of getting homework done to getting homework done 2 days before it is due. With these goals, they should be able to make you feel even more proud of yourself when the course is over, and you can enjoy the rest of your summer.

2. Get Ready for Great Notes

Even though this class could be online or in person, you should take great notes. With good notes you will be able to rely on them, so when you are studying or doing homework, you aren’t going through PowerPoints and papers to find the answers. Keep your notes organized and colored; this can be done with colored pens or highlighted important words. Also, if your handwriting isn’t the best, then take time and rewrite your notes; it will be worth it.

3. Calendars are Key!

Due dates. Vacations. Tests. Exams. You will need to keep up with what you have coming up and having a daily, weekly or monthly calendar is a great way to keep deadlines organized.

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4. Brain Breaks

While you might be sitting in your room or in the classroom, your friends might be at the beach posting about how great their class-free summer is going which might frustrate you, but it’s okay. Take some breaks to get lunch with some friends or have a Saturday that you go relax or hang with friends or family. With breaks, make sure you aren’t taking too many because they might be nice, but you don’t want to get too behind.

5. Take General Education Courses

The best classes you could take in the summer are general education classes, because they don’t affect your major and they don’t need a current professor. These classes are most of the easy classes, which will allow your summer to not be so stressful. Before you sign up for class, verify the transfer credit; you can contact your advisor or go through the website on your school’s admission page.

6. Ask for Help

Get out of your box and make some friends. With these friends, you can start study groups and have people that are going through the same thing to help and support you. Also, go meet your professor. Whether it’s going to office hours or emailing to say you are excited to start the class, make a good first impression in case of a bump in the road, you will feel comfortable talking to them.

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7. Retaking a Class?

If you are retaking a class, focus on the topics you struggled with and study the most there. If it helps, forget the stress you had with the class before and focus on the solution you produce to pass this class. In addition, it is okay to tell your professor that it is your second time taking this class because they can give you tips to pass.

Guide for Taking Summer Courses