Springing ahead

While some University students spend the summer months relaxing with family and friends,

ANDY YOUNG/Daily Students participate in Chemistry 215, taught by Arthur Ashe, during spring term at the University. Many students use the summer to take courses.

others opt for a different activity - hitting the books. Some say there are several advantages to taking spring or summer classes.

LSA sophomore Romika Singh said taking spring courses allows for more free time during the fall and winter semesters.

"By taking classes during the spring, I can take less credits during the fall and winter," Singh said. " This will give me more free time to get involved with extracurricular activities around campus."

LSA sophomore Hanna Phan said he has more free time during the fall and winter semesters, since taking a class during spring term "gets it out of the way."

LSA sophomore Charul Patel said she had a different reason for taking classes in May and June.

"I have more time to focus on a single class," said Patel, who is currently taking an economics class.

Patel said the summer offers the opportunity to be in a small class, which gives students the chance to form a relationship with a professor that may not exist during the regular school year.

"The fact that my biggest class has 30 people helps a lot," she said.

University professors said they valued the relationship that exists between teacher and student and agreed that they often see spring and summer classes as better mediums in which to work and learn.

"I prefer a smaller class where the atmosphere is more intimate," said Barbara Weathers, a chemistry lecturer during the spring term.

Weathers said that classes during spring and summer terms are more intensive since the courses must cover the same amount of material as the fall and winter terms in half the time. She added that taking classes during these terms is an advantage to students who "are up to the challenge."

"Generally, students who take classes during the spring are more motivated and have readily set personal goals to meet," Weathers said.

LSA Academic Advisor Toni Morales, an Academic Standards Board member, said taking classes during the spring and summer is not always advantageous for students.

"The student should be fairly disciplined to take spring or summer classes," Morales said. Morales said she recommends taking spring or summer classes if the students are behind in credits, or if they are concentrating in the sciences.

"A physics concentrator has a large amount of heavy-duty science classes to take, so taking classes during the summer months would lighten their class load in the fall," Morales said.

Associate Director of the LSA Academic Advising Center Virginia Reese said advisors do not always have a specific plan when suggesting that students take spring or summer classes.

"We make sure that (the student) has a balanced load and a realistic understanding of the work ahead," Reese said. "A secure understanding of the work ahead is the key to success during the spring and summer terms."

06-01-98