For those of you full time summer courses..need advice

[SomedayMaybe3]

Hi all! Today is my final exam in my summer course. I only took 6 credit hours this summer so 1 class per session. My question is, What is it like to take 12 credit hours in the summer? Is it too much to handle with kids and the classes being excelled? I just realized that if i take 12 per semester and 12 per summer i would be graduated in only 3 years and that brings me closer to my big goals a whole year sooner! Anyone BTDT? should i just slow down and enjoy this or is it worth the push? I would love to hear both sides...good experience and bad...Thanks ladies

~Sarah~

[Hey Mama!]

Well... I was enrolled in 12 for this summer, and dropped one class before the session started. The way my classes were set up is I had one that spanned 2.5 months, and two six week courses, one first session, one second session. I was barely able to complete all my work for the long class and the first session class at the same time, so I dropped the second session class right before it started. I ended up only earning 6 credit hours. For me, with my kids home all summer there was no way I could have done 12 hours this summer. I probably could have made it with the 9 but I had marital problems to deal with on top of everything else. But, before I had kids I did 12 hours just fine, but I had no other responsibilities except a part time job.

[SomedayMaybe3]

@ Hey Mamma...To me it sounds like you are able to handle two classes at once. So in theory you could take to classes each session to get your 12 credit hours...That's what i hope to do...I guess after the fall I'll see if i think i'll be able to deal with it Thanks for ur response.

[sparklett]

I took 16 credits this summer and it was totally doable. Summer had 3 sessions, so I 2 courses per session. Each session was 3-4 weeks. Total of 6 classes.

I did all of the reading for the classes in advance, so when it was time to take the class, I just did a refresher read. That was a HUGE help.

Whether or not you can handle lots of units in a short span of time really depends on what kind of learner you are and the kinds of classes you're taking. All of my classes were 300-400 level courses and I loved the fast pace of the course. Longer courses, 12-16 weeks in length, bore me to tears.

I worked on classes in the evening. No TV, no movies, no dinners out. Just a few solid months of intense work. I usually worked from 8pm-11pm and it was plenty of time to get things done.

[SomedayMaybe3]

I totally agree that the longer the course the more boring it is. I like that faster pace. Reading ahead is a great idea...Keep the tips coming ladies!

[notneb]

I took 10 hours this summer (3 classes) and it was a little bit crazy! My school's summer terms are really weird - I took 2 courses over the 11 week term, and one in an 8 week term that ended before the longer term. So for most of the summer I was taking all 3 classes, and it was a lot. The classes weren't terribly difficult, but they were all very time consuming. The worst part was when I had 2 or 3 exams or major assignments at the same time, there would be a day or two where I couldn't give DS as much time and attention as usual, and I felt really guilty about that. Fortunately, he's a pretty "go with the flow" kid and did fine. If you use childcare while you are in class/studying, or if your DH, other family members and/or friends are able and willing to spend some time with your DC when you have a lot of schoolwork, that would really help.

[nolansmummy]

My school won't let you take more than 9hours without special permission.
Our summer school is either 1hr everyday for both june and july
or
two hour classes for either june or july.

The most i ever did was two classes- one in june and one in july.

I think it really depends on what the classes are too.