I’m academic advising this week, so that is on my mind. Academic advising is a time for students to work with their lower division (i.e., pre-major) adviser or their major adviser (and minor adviser if applicable) to strategize about their fall schedule. Currently enrolled students will register for fall classes at the beginning of June, and incoming ’25 students typically register in July.
Some of my advisees have been asking me about Summer School, which can be a terrific idea. Whether you have an incoming Deac who wants to try a college class or two before the fall starts (kind of the ‘dip your toe in the pool gently before diving in’ approach), a Deac who has a prereq class for a major that they want to be able to concentrate fully on, or one who wants to catch up on credits (or retake a class they got a C- or below in), Summer School could be the right answer.
In terms of which class(es) to take, there is no right or wrong, just what is right for your Deac. One consideration is that summer courses compress what would normally be taught in a full semester into an abbreviated period, so the learning/mastery has to take place in a shorter time frame. For me personally, I was an English major, and did well in my English summer school class, because it played to my strengths. Had I taken Biology (which was not my gift), it may have felt more like I was drinking from a fire hose, so that might not have been a good choice for me. And as always, my best advice for families is to let the student drive the course selection process 100%, consulting with their advisers. Families can provide encouragement and support, but it is best not to get into the details and planning (your students need to flex those course planning muscles on their own).
There are a few communications to share: first, Dr. Hatch sent a message to the campus community following the conclusion of the Chauvin trial in Minnesota (read it here); second, there had been an issue with card access in the residence halls, and Residence Life and Housing has been communicating with students about it (see here); third, the Class of 2024 got a message about some things we are planning for them next year as part of a new Sophomore Year Experience (see here); and finally the Class of 2025 got a welcome message (here).
It’s a cooler day here – maybe only 60, and windy – but the sun is out and that’s reason enough to be happy 🙂 Let’s keep these good vibes going and finish the semester strong!
