To take summer classes or not?

JennyColada · May 2015

So the summer registration for my school just opened up, and OF COURSE they aren't offering anything that I "need", but there are a few courses that I wouldn't mind taking and find kind of interesting:

BUS-100-16053 Introduction to Business

COMS-260-16359 Communication and Gender

COMS-250-16360 Process of Communication

Technically I will need to take BUS 100 eventually, but it's offered every semester both online and in-person (all of the above classes that I'm considering are online).

To take all three is $441 just for the credits, which seems kind of hefty for my personal budget at this point in time, but it's do-able (DH takes care of the house and food budgets, so this wouldn't affect out day-to-day finances at all, it would purely just affect my personal shopping budget!). I'd also still have a month summer break in between when these classes end and fall courses begin.

I guess I'm just looking for feedback on what you would do: would you take the "fun" courses, would you take some of them, or would you take none of them?

falsara · May 2015

I might just take the one that's required. I often find classes I would like to take but honestly if it's not going to go towards my degree, why bother with it right now?

If they will count towards your degree as electives then go for it.

JennyColada · May 2015

falsara said:
I might just take the one that's required. I often find classes I would like to take but honestly if it's not going to go towards my degree, why bother with it right now?

If they will count towards your degree as electives then go for it.

I was hoping you'd reply!

I think that I'm all good with electives. Well, I do need a "lab", but I REALLY don't want to do that in a condensed session.

Maybe I'll sign up for BUS 100 now, and then if I change my mind in the next couple of months I could add in the others (I'm pretty sure that they that won't fill up since you just need for the Communications major, but BUS 100 is a requirement in like 4 majors).

sarahufl · May 2015

JennyColada said:
So the summer registration for my school just opened up, and OF COURSE they aren't offering anything that I "need", but there are a few courses that I wouldn't mind taking and find kind of interesting:

BUS-100-16053 Introduction to Business
COMS-260-16359 Communication and Gender
COMS-250-16360 Process of Communication

Technically I will need to take BUS 100 eventually, but it's offered every semester both online and in-person (all of the above classes that I'm considering are online).

To take all three is $441 just for the credits, which seems kind of hefty for my personal budget at this point in time, but it's do-able (DH takes care of the house and food budgets, so this wouldn't affect out day-to-day finances at all, it would purely just affect my personal shopping budget!). I'd also still have a month summer break in between when these classes end and fall courses begin.

I guess I'm just looking for feedback on what you would do: would you take the "fun" courses, would you take some of them, or would you take none of them?

Good grief, tuition is expensive where I work.

JennyColada · May 2015

sarahufl said:

JennyColada said:
So the summer registration for my school just opened up, and OF COURSE they aren't offering anything that I "need", but there are a few courses that I wouldn't mind taking and find kind of interesting:

BUS-100-16053 Introduction to Business
COMS-260-16359 Communication and Gender
COMS-250-16360 Process of Communication

Technically I will need to take BUS 100 eventually, but it's offered every semester both online and in-person (all of the above classes that I'm considering are online).

To take all three is $441 just for the credits, which seems kind of hefty for my personal budget at this point in time, but it's do-able (DH takes care of the house and food budgets, so this wouldn't affect out day-to-day finances at all, it would purely just affect my personal shopping budget!). I'd also still have a month summer break in between when these classes end and fall courses begin.

I guess I'm just looking for feedback on what you would do: would you take the "fun" courses, would you take some of them, or would you take none of them?
Good grief, tuition is expensive where I work.

It's a community college, not a univeristy.

sarahufl · May 2015

JennyColada said:

sarahufl said:

JennyColada said:
So the summer registration for my school just opened up, and OF COURSE they aren't offering anything that I "need", but there are a few courses that I wouldn't mind taking and find kind of interesting:

BUS-100-16053 Introduction to Business
COMS-260-16359 Communication and Gender
COMS-250-16360 Process of Communication

Technically I will need to take BUS 100 eventually, but it's offered every semester both online and in-person (all of the above classes that I'm considering are online).

To take all three is $441 just for the credits, which seems kind of hefty for my personal budget at this point in time, but it's do-able (DH takes care of the house and food budgets, so this wouldn't affect out day-to-day finances at all, it would purely just affect my personal shopping budget!). I'd also still have a month summer break in between when these classes end and fall courses begin.

I guess I'm just looking for feedback on what you would do: would you take the "fun" courses, would you take some of them, or would you take none of them?
Good grief, tuition is expensive where I work.
It's a community college, not a univeristy.

Ah, gotcha! Because our tuition is somewhere around $2k PER CREDIT.

kaos16 · May 2015

I'd take the business class and get it out of the way now. . . . likely that will be a prerequisite for classes you want to take in the future. If you do it now, you won't be stuck later where you can't take what you need because you haven't taken the into class yet.

JennyColada · May 2015

kaos16 said:
I'd take the business class and get it out of the way now. . . . likely that will be a prerequisite for classes you want to take in the future. If you do it now, you won't be stuck later where you can't take what you need because you haven't taken the into class yet.

Good point, but it's all for an AA degree, so none of the courses are pre-reqs.

I already have my English all done (I still have math to take, but TOTALLY not taking that during a condensed semester!).

falsara · May 2015

Lol, then I'm glad I did.

I agree with you on the Lab. Don't do it during the condensed session.

Definitely sign up for the BUS 100, it'll be good to get it out of the way. Add the other's later if you feel like it. I will say that those two might be better if taken in-person (if that's an option) because those subjects, especially the Communication and Gender, can lead to some interesting seminar style chats/ debates.

Just make sure that taking the other classes doesn't interfere with your other requirements and stuff.

tcnoble · May 2015

I would take the one BUS100 class if you can. It's nice to get SOMETHING out of the way during summer, if you have the option. I'm a teacher so I don't mind summer classes, it gives me something to do. And, it leaves room in fall semester for another class you need. Just moves things along a little quicker, I think!

JennyColada · May 2015

falsara said:
I will say that those two might be better if taken in-person (if that's an option) because those subjects, especially the Communication and Gender, can lead to some interesting seminar style chats/ debates.

Whoa, I didn't even think of that! That's a great suggestion (and probably thusly rules those classes out, as if I'm going to spend my time doing any in-person classes it will probably be for my major!).

The school does do a whole Wine Studies program though (wine tasting included), and I may try to get DH to sign up with it for me in the fall. That's my one exception to the "major classes only" in-person rule. :P

falsara · May 2015

Well glad I could help, I love class discussions so I take all of my classes in person.

I agree with you on the Wine Studies, that sounds awesome.

julieanne912 · May 2015

I agree that BUS 100 is a good option. Plus, those types of classes are usually really easy, which might be nice for a condensed schedule in the summer.

And uh yeah, the first college I went to, (CSU Fresno if anybody cares) has an entire degree program in viticulture or enology aka, winemaking. I was interested in it but I ended up leaving to go to design school instead, plus it's actually a pretty difficult program. But, they offered winetasting classes as electives, that were totally fun!

arrippa · May 2015

JennyColada said:

falsara said:
I will say that those two might be better if taken in-person (if that's an option) because those subjects, especially the Communication and Gender, can lead to some interesting seminar style chats/ debates.
Whoa, I didn't even think of that! That's a great suggestion (and probably thusly rules those classes out, as if I'm going to spend my time doing any in-person classes it will probably be for my major!).

The school does do a whole Wine Studies program though (wine tasting included), and I may try to get DH to sign up with it for me in the fall. That's my one exception to the "major classes only" in-person rule. :P

My new major. Finally, something I will ace.

VulgarGirl · May 2015

sarahufl said:

JennyColada said:

sarahufl said:

JennyColada said:
So the summer registration for my school just opened up, and OF COURSE they aren't offering anything that I "need", but there are a few courses that I wouldn't mind taking and find kind of interesting:

BUS-100-16053 Introduction to Business
COMS-260-16359 Communication and Gender
COMS-250-16360 Process of Communication

Technically I will need to take BUS 100 eventually, but it's offered every semester both online and in-person (all of the above classes that I'm considering are online).

To take all three is $441 just for the credits, which seems kind of hefty for my personal budget at this point in time, but it's do-able (DH takes care of the house and food budgets, so this wouldn't affect out day-to-day finances at all, it would purely just affect my personal shopping budget!). I'd also still have a month summer break in between when these classes end and fall courses begin.

I guess I'm just looking for feedback on what you would do: would you take the "fun" courses, would you take some of them, or would you take none of them?
Good grief, tuition is expensive where I work.
It's a community college, not a univeristy.
Ah, gotcha! Because our tuition is somewhere around $2k PER CREDIT.

Don't you work at an Ivy League school? Did you seriously think Ivys were priced like regular universities/community colleges? It's an IVY.

Anyways Jenny, I'm the worst person to ask cause I'm one of the "yay learning is fun lets take all the classes!" people. So I'd sign up for all three. But business does sound like a good bet. Then you can more fun classes later...

AprilH81 · May 2015

I would at least take the required class and possibly one more if it can be counted towards a general ed course that you might need.

When I was in school I didn't take a lot of "fun" classes, I was busy making sure all of my classes filled a graduation requirement and most of my elective hours were filled with marching band and hockey/basketball band. Those classes were easy GPA boosters.

jacques27 · May 2015

Out of curiosity, have you done an online class yet?

I'm doing one this summer. I'm only a week in and I HATE IT! Also, are you sure you can sign up for them at any point in the summer? Cause at my school (state school - it's in the same state system as our community colleges though), online does not equal independent study. There is a rigid schedule for when you have to have homework, quizzes, and tests done so you can't just sign up later in the semester.

But I'm finding that in an effort to try to "equal" the in class experience, they try to force online discussion on a class board. I'm required to post by a certain time every week and required to respond to X number of people. It's just so contrived and I find I actually have more deadlines to juggle with my online class than if I had just taken the in person version. In person, I'd just have to have everything done by the next week's class and we'd discuss things in class. Online, I have to make sure I have the chapters read by Tuesday in order to write my discussion post by Wednesday in order to give people time to respond by Saturday and then also have my homework done by Friday so I can email it to another classmate for the required peer edit review by the Sunday due date and also take the quiz by Sunday. Hopefully your online class experience is different than mine, but I regret my decision horribly. I should have just sucked it up to take it in person even though it was offered at a very inconvenient time and location for me.

wandajune6 · May 2015

It's been a while for me but DH is just finishing his BA after finishing his AA at a local community college not that long ago. He had a ton of extra courses so he finished the BA 1 year after his AA-- 13 courses in 2 semesters.

Take the required course. Get it out of the way now so you can take whatever else you need to during the regular school year. Required classes fill up quickly and it can sometimes be difficult to get into the session you want when you want it. DH struggled with this during his year working on his BA- the only session for a pre-req that he could get into was at the same time as another required class that was only taught once a year. It was a mess.

If you can swing it, it's probably worth it to take at least one other course as well. Having a few extra classes/credits banked up can only help when it is time to apply for your degree.

@jacques27- DH handled this issue above with an online course. He hated it and vowed never to take another online course again. I've heard similar feelings about online courses from friends as well.

FiancB · May 2015

Are they accelerated? Summer classes usually are. If so, three classes will be a ton to chew, unless they're offered in different parts of the summer.

I love online courses! I take them whenever I can. I just like being able to do things on my own time. A lot of science classes are hybrid so I have to show up for lab, but it's kind of the best of both worlds since I do get some physical instruction but also do most of the rote learning on my own time.

jennyleigh16 · May 2015

jacques27 said:
Out of curiosity, have you done an online class yet?

I'm doing one this summer. I'm only a week in and I HATE IT! Also, are you sure you can sign up for them at any point in the summer? Cause at my school (state school - it's in the same state system as our community colleges though), online does not equal independent study. There is a rigid schedule for when you have to have homework, quizzes, and tests done so you can't just sign up later in the semester.

But I'm finding that in an effort to try to "equal" the in class experience, they try to force online discussion on a class board. I'm required to post by a certain time every week and required to respond to X number of people. It's just so contrived and I find I actually have more deadlines to juggle with my online class than if I had just taken the in person version. In person, I'd just have to have everything done by the next week's class and we'd discuss things in class. Online, I have to make sure I have the chapters read by Tuesday in order to write my discussion post by Wednesday in order to give people time to respond by Saturday and then also have my homework done by Friday so I can email it to another classmate for the required peer edit review by the Sunday due date and also take the quiz by Sunday. Hopefully your online class experience is different than mine, but I regret my decision horribly. I should have just sucked it up to take it in person even though it was offered at a very inconvenient time and location for me.

The struggle is real. I've been taking online classes for the last couple years because I work shift work and can't guarantee I'll be off every Tuesday at 3pm to be in class. I did 3 years of on-campus schooling and I agree it was much easier than online. I'm taking 2 classes right now and I'm losing my mind and missing assignments. Though that could have something to do with working full-time, competing for a promotion, buying/selling a house, taking French classes + 2 college classes and planning a wedding all within the next 4 months. Still though, you need to be very motivated and detail oriented to do well in online classes. 2 things I am decidedly not this semester.

ETA: My classes at a community college are about $500 per class. Add in e-texts and it's usually about $600-$650 per credit. CAD

hellosweetie1015 · May 2015

FiancB said:
Are they accelerated? Summer classes usually are. If so, three classes will be a ton to chew, unless they're offered in different parts of the summer.

I love online courses! I take them whenever I can. I just like being able to do things on my own time. A lot of science classes are hybrid so I have to show up for lab, but it's kind of the best of both worlds since I do get some physical instruction but also do most of the rote learning on my own time.

This. Combined with jacques's description, I would want to shoot myself. I did four in a minimester. I was in school all day every day, got zero downtime between homework, and I swear to this day it's why I get bronchitis so often. I got it the first time in that minimester, had it turn into pneumonia on me, and spent the entire beach trip I was supposed to be relaxing on, in the condo avoiding sun because of the antibiotics. Worst experience ever.

It's a good option for cramming in a bunch of needed classes (which I did). But don't do it with blowoff classes.

FiancB · May 2015

Yeah, generally one class at a time is good for the summer. I'm starting microbio next week. There's a nursing skills review class that I would have liked to have taken, but it runs at the same time and I don't feel like being at school all day every day.

JennyColada · May 2015

jacques27 said:
Out of curiosity, have you done an online class yet

Yep! I did 2 this semester, 3 last semester, and 2 the semester before.

I like online classes because they don't interfere with my work or social schedule, and since my schedules can vary each week it's much easier than locking myself in to a set weekly course.

Plus most of the teachers give an outline of what's due so I can often get a jump on school work!

I've also taken classes during the summer and winter inter-sessions, and while the classes are more condensed, I've neger felt like there was THAT much additional work. I mean, we still do 1 quiz, 1 homework, 1 discussion/week. So it just feels normal, but shorter, to me.

To take summer classes or not?

Re: To take summer classes or not?

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