If asked, most students would say that though tuition is expensive for summer classes, summer school is a part of college necessary in order to graduate on time. In the wake of the recent tuition increase, as well as other disadvantages normally associated with summer school, is it worth it?

With colleges beefing up curriculums and offering more rigorous programs of study that leave almost no room for drops, withdrawals, or failures, it now takes students an average of five years to graduate. Because of this, more students opt to take summer classes to keep them on track.

One upside to taking summer classes is being able to get into classes that are normally full during the regular school year. Many students find the one class they absolutely need to take, whether it be a prerequisite or an upper level, is either offered at inconvenient times or not enough during the fall or spring semesters, causing them to need to take it over the summer.

Additionally, summer classes offer a smaller class size and a more relaxed atmosphere than classes during the academic year. Smaller class size also gives students more one-on-one attention from professors.

Matthew Hutchins, a senior, said he thinks summer school is a necessity.

“I hate that I have to take summer classes because they are very inconvenient and depending on the course load can become very expensive for some students,” Hutchins said. “But regardless, they do help in keeping on track for graduating in time.”

The downside to taking summer classes, however, includes a smaller selection of courses.

Courses such as English and math and those that the University feels will yield a high enrollment are the only ones that will be offered.

Because these classes are offered in a condensed period of time, they may not always cover all of the material that is regularly offered. Some learning shortcuts or helpful hints may be omitted so that the basic need-to-know information can be taught. This means that the course will be more intensive and therefore sometimes harder than normal.

So, is summer school worth it?

Corey Smith, a senior who is currently taking summer classes, said summer school is worth it “if you just want to pass a class or want a smaller class, but if you want to actually learn something, the shorter period of time is going to hinder that.”