Five Reasons to Start School in the Summer

Traditionally, Fall has been the ideal time to start college. You've had a nice summer break, maybe taken a vacation or two, and had a carefree couple of months. What do you have to lose, right? Wrong. What most students don't realize is that the cost of a leisurely summer can actually be quite steep.

As you bask in the rays of Summer sunshine, priceless time is lost that could have been spent getting an entire quarter ahead in school. Most colleges offer accelerated summer options as well, so a quarter or semester can be completed in roughly half the time it would normally take. There are numerous reasons to start college in the summer. The top five are:

1) Summer start lets you graduate a quarter sooner.

2) There are fewer students in your classes.

3) With fewer students to manage, instructors are more apt to help you learn.

4) Fewer courses taken usually equals less work.

5) You can study at the beach!

The Summer start lets you graduate earlier so that you may begin your job search earlier. This also helps you to save money by cutting out that three-month delay in earning a salary. Summer sessions have fewer students, since most people do start school in Fall or Spring semesters. With that said, you are more likely to have the opportunity to build a relationship with your instructors that can help you gain extra support, one-on-one attention and more directed guidance.

For most colleges, full-time for the Summer session is 9-12 credits, allowing the student to have more free time due to less work. Lastly, and most importantly, students can still enjoy their summer, since many colleges offer summer classes online. You can still enjoy the beautiful weather—take your laptop and textbooks with you to make the most of your summer. So, why wait until Fall? If you knock out a quarter load of courses in just a few short weeks over the summer, you can be on your way toward earning your degree sooner.