As the spring semester winds down, most of us are overwhelmingly aware that summer break is right around the corner. A quick bout of tests and finals will lead to three months of pure bliss, void of painfully early morning schedules or late nights studying. Summer is a time that I feel everyone can unanimously agree, is a time to relax and experience life a little more slowly. Everyone works hard during the school year and a little break never hurt anyone. Right?

That being said, its important to realize that even though we’re not in the academic mindset during the summer, we have an obligation to ourselves, to maintain a certain level of productivity in our lives. Using Netflix as a metaphor for a disciplined summer schedule, sitting down and watching a couple of episodes is a great way to relax and unwind, but it’s important not to let your couch become a black hole that sucks you into binge watching entire seasons at a time.

If you think about it, we have these four years in college to prepare ourselves for our grand debut in the real world. That reality might not seem so apparent as a freshman in college, but it is an important truth to realize. Becoming stagnant during the summer is not an effective way to promote the work ethic or life skills that will be vital to success in the near future. Every opportunity to better one’s self should be seized, and there’s no better way to do that than by taking summer classes.

I know it seems contradictory to put those two words next to each other, but at this pivotal time in our life, getting a head of the curve is a no brainer. Sure, taking classes during the most enjoyable break of the year might seem like a drag, but in retrospect, spending a couple hours a day on a class isn’t too tough, especially when your whole day is wide open. The University of Oklahoma offers a wide variety of summer courses, for students to take both online and on the Norman campus. In addition, there are classes that span different lengths of the summer months, in order to accommodate those with other summer plans. With this wide scope of flexibility, OU makes it easy for students to take advantage of what it has to offer.

As with all classes, the summer courses offered at OU is as challenging as they would be during the semester, but students have the advantage of a much easier and smaller workload given that they do not have a full schedule on their hands. Whether it be general education courses or that organic chemistry class that seemed a little intimidating to take during the busy semester, summer classes always leave you with a sense of satisfaction at the end of the summer when you realize that you’re that much closer to your goals. Having taken summer classes before, I can personally say that they are one of the best ways to get a solid grip on your academic life in college. Sacrificing a small chunk of your day during the summer is definitely worth it when you’re able to enjoy a comfortable schedule during the school year and is why I will always recommend taking summer courses.

Adam Siddique

Tulsa, OK

Biology Junior