The sun beamed upon freshly bloomed foliage as birds eagerly chirped their sweet melodies, welcoming students back to the world of essays, GPAs and procrastination. MSU students returned to class May 13, backpacks weighted with books and jackets zipped, as unseasonably cold air cascaded upon the eager commuting masses.
While the sidewalks seemed eerily deserted compared to the start of fall semester, students looking to get ahead on coursework or seeking to pick up a few extra credits while working on campus set out on a new semester. While some trotted to class, others potentially hundreds of miles away rolled out of bed, pajamas still donned, and logged on to ANGEL to view their first assignments.
Psychology senior Chanel Raddatz, who decided to obtain additional credits while working at Sparty’s Convenience Stores during the summer, said online classes fit her schedule best. Having taken classes online in previous semesters, Raddatz discussed another potential benefit.
“I’ve taken online classes before and I love taking them, honestly I think they are easier,” Raddatz said.
Students seeking to take classes while balancing work or internships have been drawn to online classes over the years. Joe Grimm, a journalism professor who is teaching several online classes during the summer semester, notices changes in student behavior during the warmest months.
“A lot of students submit their work at the last minute during the summer semester, which isn’t surprising,” Grimm said.
He said the nature of his classes — topics in public relations and editing for print and online — work well in the online setting, but he appreciates face-to-face interactions. As such, he admits not everything works without in-class interactions.
“(In class) you can tell who gets it and who doesn’t,” Grimm said.
He said students stay busy during the fall and spring semesters and that they often are unable to schedule required classes or sign up for their favorite professors. Summer classes provide an opportunity for students to graduate when they want, instead of forcing students to stay in school an additional semester and cut their potential working careers short, Grimm concluded.
The lure of taking a few extra classes instead of laying on white sand beaches translates in the enrollment data. Summer enrollment steadily has increased according to the Office of the Registrar, from just shy of 20,000 students in 2005 to over 23,000 in 2012.
Ryan Jose, a biomedical laboratory science junior, said taking summer classes was all about making things easier down the line.
“I’m thinking of going to pharmacy school, which means I have to take care of a lot of (prerequisites),” Jose said. “Taking classes this summer means I’ll hopefully have a less stressful fall and spring semester coming up.”
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