Summer Courses – Why They Could be Helpful

Once the school year is over, the last thing anyone wants to think about is summer courses. With the winter term coming to an end, now is the perfect time to start planning what your summer is going to look like.

Taking summers courses is always something that I avoided – I mean, who wants to exchange the little bit of free time in the summer for more school? Though after completing my third year of studies this past summer, I decided to enrol in a few courses,  just as the COVID-19 pandemic hit. I knew my summer was not going to look the same as previous ones.

Since COVID-19 caused many restrictions, I was unable to work the two jobs that I normally did over the summer, leaving me with a buttload of free time. With all courses being  online last summer, as they will be this summer, I was able to  organize my courses around my work schedule. There was no commute time, which was incredibly helpful.

I decided to sign up for two courses, one for the first half of the summer and one for the second half, and I was able to take them with help from OSAP funding. Taking these courses allowed me to finish off my last extra credit course as well as a credit for my minor.

I was worried that summer school would take up the free time that I normally spent soaking in the sun; with our Canadian weather, I need all the vitamin D that I can get. However, online classes allowed me to soak in the sun and attend my courses at the same time. Once my final school year began in the fall, I had the ability to have a lighter load., This was extremely helpful as it allowed me to spend more time focusing on my final year of courses, and I could pick up some extra shifts at work. Completing courses over the summer helped me with my financial and school stress.

Summer school may not be for everyone. Some programs, such as mine (Journalism), do not offer courses over the summer very often. For the past summer, I was lucky to both complete an extra credit course, and a course that aligned with my minor.

If your program does offer courses over the summer, I would definitely recommend taking them. It can either relieve a bit of stress by having a lighter course load during the school year, or could allow you to graduate a semester or year early.

If you are looking to register for summer courses, the Carleton Central course scheduling planner is open for you to start looking at what courses they have to offer. Registration for courses opens on Thursday, March 25, 2021, for undergraduate and graduate students, and opens for registration on Monday, March 29, 2021, for Carleton University Special Students (non-degree).

Find out more about summer courses on Carleton’s Summer Studies Registration page.