Taking Summer Courses

I’ve said it before and am here to say it again: Taking organic chemistry in the summer was one of the best moves I made as a pre-med student. Of course, I didn’t have a choice because I’d bombed the class the first time around and technically HAD to retake it that summer…but still—taking it that summer made me wonder why more people didn’t take summer classes, especially the hard BCPM courses! Now you don’t need to take basket-weaving and rocks for jocks in the summer; you need to take something that is “worth” taking in the summer. Something that you might struggle in if you were also taking a full load of other courses. Now there are some exceptions to that statement; if you are changing your major, for example, and need to take some core courses, then you may choose to do that in the summer. But mostly, you want to be thinking about taking a BCPM course during this time when you can really buckle down, focus on it, and make a good grade to boost that BCPM GPA.

Smaller class size

Undoubtedly, fewer students will be taking courses in the summer. So you should have more time to ask individual questions and the professor may even explain things more thoroughly because they are lecturing to less than a full auditorium of students. And, if you’re like me, you may just feel more comfortable in a smaller class setting!

Better opportunity to connect with the professor

With the smaller class size and more free time in your schedule, you’ll have a better opportunity to get to know your professor. Remember, if you’re taking a class in the summer, the goal is to make an A in it. Period. And if you’re making an A in it, that professor is in the strong running for someone you need to ask to write you a letter of recommendation. When you’re only taking 1 or 2 classes, you have more time to be in their office for office hours and to get to know them on a personal level so they can write you a glowing letter of recommendation. I spent so much time in my organic chemistry teacher’s office that summer and she knew me so well that she wrote a letter so good that literally every interview I had, they mentioned it. Take advantage of that time you have to develop a connection with a professor…when they have fewer other students also vying for their time and attention.

Fewer distractions

One of the biggest perks of taking a class in the summer, in my opinion is that there are soooo many fewer distractions in the summer than in the regular school year. There aren’t basketball, football, or other sporting events to occupy your time. And there are generally less people around campus during the summer. Less people should mean less opportunity for you to be out kicking it too much. Now I know there may be some house parties going on but the club and party scene are likely to be a lot less active during the summer- that’s a good thing! Less distractions should equal more time studying, which should directly translate to good grades!

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Are you planning to take courses this summer? Take some time to think about whether or not you need to and, if so, make it happen. If you don’t, find other productive things to do this summer. Whatever you do, don’t waste your summer break!