We all knew it going in: At some point or another during our undergrad years, we were required to complete one semester of summer classes. Nine credit hours, to be exact. Personally, I dreaded it. Who could blame me, after all? I had already survived the panic-inducing periods known as fall and spring, and I was 100% not ready to do school for another 12 weeks. Nonetheless, I sucked it up, as most of us eventually have to. And here’s the kicker: it wasn’t half bad. Summer classes actually ended up doing me a ton of good for a couple reasons:
1. It improves your work ethic.
I don’t know about all of you, but one of my biggest downfalls as a student is that I am entirely too social. There always seems to be people around to talk to and hang out with, and there always seems to be things to do. While it sucks that campus seems a little more dead during the summer, what it did give me was the opportunity to focus more on my studies, and maybe even more so on myself. My routine over the summer became fairly consistent, and it was really easy to incorporate both my new study habits and other little things like making time for breakfast in the morning into my normal day-to-day.
2. It gives you time to try new things.
I took advantage of the less intense summer schedule and took classes both early in the morning and later in the evening. I had previously been hesitant to take classes later in the day because I felt that they would get taxing and even annoying to attend. What I figured out was that I actually enjoyed going to classes in the evening, as much as I enjoyed heading to class during the day. My 4:55 p.m. class ended up being one of my favorites that summer. Not only that, but taking classes that began during Summer A meant that I also had my apartment to myself for a few months. And contrary to popular belief, living alone doesn’t have to be lonely. I liked spending my free time watching Netflix and eating peanut butter, and really made me appreciate taking time off for myself.
3. You meet new people.
Within the realm of branching out, I met some truly great people over the summer. Yeah, the campus does get a little quieter between May and July, but similarly to how you find cool gems when you’re exploring your hometown, I found some cool people. My summer roommate ended up being one of the best people to live with ever, and we still keep in touch. I even met one of my best friends in the 4:55 class I mentioned earlier! The funny story there is that I sat next to her and started a conversation, totally under the assumption, of course, that no matter how weird I was, we probably wouldn’t run into each other much in the fall and spring. Best. Decision. Ever.
4. You appreciate how beautiful Gainesville is.
The thing is, I never feel like I give G-ville enough credit. It really is a great place to be. There’s always a nice place near you if you’re looking for a killer coffee or a change of scenery, because who wants to be in the library all day? I always say that Mother Nature must be a Gator too, since the sky is blue and the sunsets during the summer are the best shade of orange ever.
So collegiettes, hats off to a great end to the spring semester, and cheers to summer, no matter how you’re planning to spend it!
Photo Credits:
iStockphoto.com/srebrina
Newmaneyecenter.com
Freepik.com
Oconnellctr.tumblr.com
Old.ubyssey.ca