Students at high schools all around the county, have to balance their schedule as well as make sure they have finished all of their credits. This is why taking a course over the summer can be a resolution.
Students have a choice of all of the classes over the summer, it just has to do with what they can balance, or what it too much, according to counselor Rob Kurtz. Students can also take electives, so they can fill their schedule with different courses based on their individual needs. “The best classes to take over the summer are based on who the kid is and what they need to retake or fill,” Kurtz said.
While it does cost money, taking a half credit class in the summer can help a student fill a schedule with an AP or another elective. “I am taking health over the summer so I can take double period AP chem,” sophomore Anna Daraselia said.
Summer classes are different from summer school, where students are not making up a class, and instead taking it to fill the required credits without having to spend a semester taking it during the school year.
Some students take math over the summer so they can move up the following year, or so they can reach an AP math that they have always wanted to take. For example, in order to take AP stat you need a precalculus credit. Students may take precalculus over the summer so they can take AP statistics the next year. Students always want to move up a class or reach an always sought after goal, so taking a lower level class in the summer can help them reach their goal of taking that higher level course.
In order to graduate, a student needs to finish with a total of 22 credits. Required courses make it hard fit in and take the classes that a student takes interest in, so taking electives in the summer could solve this problem. Taking health or technology in the summer can open up some spots for students to take another elective that they enjoy more.
Another advantage to taking a class in the summer is that it is easier to earn a higher grade. The classes are smaller, and the course can be easier, as there are more projects, and less in class teaching. Most of the projects and classwork are done online and at home. This allows families to plan trips because it is taken over a shorter amount of time and a student only has to go to class twice, at the beginning and at the end. “This saved me a lot of time and effort, taking it over the summer opened up the courses I could take,” junior Leah Bloshteyn said.