Spring into a new semester
The pros and cons of taking spring courses
By Andi Endruhn, Staff Writer
Course registration is upon us once again and so is the question: should you take spring semester courses?
Spring courses are great but they’re not for everybody. We’re here to take you through some of the ups and downs of extending your school year.
The pros
Spring semester is a great time to try to pull ahead in your courses. Your program-required classes may not be offered during the spring but if you’re working on a minor or just want to get rid of some of those pesky general education requirements holding you back, this is a great time to do so! You’ll have time to focus without worrying about juggling all of your other courses. The added bonus is that it could help pull you closer to an earlier graduation date!
Block week courses are available! Why spend an entire semester taking a course if you can just get it done in one week? A block week course crams a two month course into five days and runs for a full Monday to Friday week with classes typically running from 9 a.m. – 4:20 p.m. These setups can range anywhere from monotonous to demanding. Their intensities vary based on course content and instructor. These kinds of courses limit your spring semester to a brief stint of time and one week of hell isn’t that bad, is it?
Take a class now and you won’t have to take one later. Regular semesters are difficult for anybody with a full course load and all the other aspects of student life. Taking a class over the spring could mean one less class to take during the regular school year, giving you more time to focus on your other classes, work a few more hours, or even relax! (Quite a concept, right?) You’ll be right on track with all of your friends, but you’ll have put the work in earlier so you don’t have to do it later. Think of it as a time investment for your future self!
The cons
Spring semester courses aren’t perfect. The most obvious problem is it makes your school year a whole lot longer depending on what classes you take. We all want to get out of school as quickly as possible, and having to come back in May and take a class running well into June is generally not a pleasant idea.
A longer school year means less time to work. If you work through the summer to help pay for school, taking a spring semester course could seriously eat into the time available to make money.
Speaking of money, student loans don’t often budget for the tuition of spring semester courses, and paying for tuition could be a serious setback for your finances, or may not be an option for your bank account. Look carefully at your finances before leaping in.
When it’s not a block week course, the classes run like a normal semester. But there is a two course gap during spring semester and going to school sporadically for only a couple hours a day from May 3 to June 20 could be a major drag. Without the rest of your normal schedule, it might be hard to get yourself to attend class. If you’re not prepared for some serious self discipline to get those attendance marks, maybe you should rethink your decision for a spring course.
Spring semester courses can be perfect to help push ahead, or can seriously impede on your time so think carefully before jumping in! The courses for this upcoming semester are posted for you to browse, and can be registered for like any other class. Registration closes on April 26.
