Each summer, LSU students have the opportunity to continue their education during the summer months, but mostchoose not to.
Many students will never take a summer course in their time at LSU as it is not written into the traditional path for most degrees. Even students who could benefit from the summer courses may not take them because they feel the cons outweigh the pros.
“I feel like I would rather pack my fall and spring semesters so that I could have my summer semester for me to breathe, like as a break from school,” Azha Scott-LeBlanc, a recent graduate, said about her decision to never take k summer classes.
LeBlanc was able to complete a bachelor’s degree in biology within four years. She used her summers to work full time. LeBlanc says that she would not have been able to work each summer if she had to also take classes.
In order to graduate on time, LeBlanc had to take between 15 hours and 17 hours a semester. She says she prefers this because the classes occur over the course of the semester, whereas the summer is a much more condensed timeline.
LSU offers summer courses in three modules, two month-long modules and one that spans the entire summer. During the short sessions, students are only permitted to take six credit hours at a time.
Many popular scholarships and grants do not apply to summer semesters, leaving students responsible for the entirety of the costs.
The Taylor Opportunity Program for Students, which covers much of tuition for many Louisiana residents, poses a problem for students wishing to take summer courses.
TOPS funding is not guaranteed, so it can only be applied to summer semesters when the state has the funds to do so. Additionally, students can only receive eight semesters of coverage of TOPS, meaning that using it for summer courses loses them coverage for a Fall or Spring Semester. Students who wish to use TOPS are also required to be enrolled on a full-time basis, meaning 6 hours for each short module or twelve for the full summer.
Without the help of TOPS and other financial aid, the cost can be a deterrent. Twelve credit hours in the summer would cost an in-state student $4,946 and an out-of-state student $9,157, not including room and board, books, fees or other expenses.
Despite this hefty price tag, some students say it is worth it.
Cecil Craig, a recent graduate in anthropology and interdisciplinary studies, said it was nice to be able to focus on just a few classes at a time. As a double major, he felt he was often taking too many classes during the fall and spring semesters.
Craig also enjoyed the lower student to teacher ratio during the summer. This allowed him to create a better connection with the professor, and it allowed the class more freedom.
Craig only took summer courses during his last summer before he graduated so that he could still graduate on time. He says paying out of pocket for the summer seemed like a better option than having to pay for another regular semester out of pocket, as he would’ve run out of TOPS benefits.
Paola Colmenares, a senior graduating next semester with a major in kinesiology and Spanish, has taken summer courses almost every semester she has been at LSU. She says they are a huge advantage that every student should utilize during their time here.
Colmenares echoed Craig’s feelings toward the student-teacher ratio. Colmenares recalled the connection she was able to build with a professor during one of her summer courses. Despite this professor moving to a different university, he is writing a recommendation letter for her.
Colmenares also pointed to the lower cost of summer classes. A full course load of 12 hours during the summer costs $600 less than 12 hours during a regular semester.
Colmenares enrolled in three courses each summer, which allowed her to finish her degrees on a faster timeline. She also said she enjoyed not getting swept up in the usual hustle and bustle on campus.
“Maybe it’ll make you appreciate LSU’s campus more,” Colmenares said. “Cause when I was here by myself without so many of the regular amount of students we have here, it really showed me a deeper appreciation for this campus. You just have more time to relish in it.”
Parking was another plus for Colmenares. She says that during the summer the parking lots are less full. This allowed her to grab a spot much faster without having to worry about being late to class or having to trek across multiple lots.
Due to the lower student volume, students are allowed to park in any unrestricted lot.
“So it was just, all in all, a much more relaxed setting and arguable a more effective one,” Craig said.