Completing and Transferring Summer Session College Courses

For many of us, spring is still a pleasant daydream. We're feeling glimpses of it on the March breezes now and then, but winter's chill is still nipping at our heels. Our winter coats are still ready and waiting.

That, combined with the fact that mid-terms are looming on the horizon, makes it difficult for most college students to think about summer and fall course registration. But the way many college enrollment cycles work, summer registration is underway, and the time to enroll in fall courses is just around the bend.

After a semester of hitting the books for four or five classes, the last thing you may want to think about is spending your summer doing more of the same. The dog days of August are all about lounging by the pool or working a summer job to save money for the coming school year.

But keep in mind that taking a college course or two in the summer months can have many advantages. You might want to consider taking summer classes if:

- You hope to earn your bachelors degree within four years and feel you may have fallen behind by taking fewer credits during a regular semester.

- You have changed or are thinking of changing your major and need to catch up on your set of requirements.

- There's a required course for your major or general requirements that may be particularly rigorous is in a subject matter that isn't your strong suit. While summer sessions at colleges tend to be shorter and more intense, if you're only taking one course you can devote your full attention to it, instead of dividing your academic efforts between four or five classes.

- You need to get a particular course finished as quickly as possible and your college is not offering it in the fall semester.

- You need or want to take a particular course in the fall semester, and it has a prerequisite that you have not yet completed. Taking the prerequisite in the summer will allow you to meet the requirements to enroll in the fall class.

Once you have decided to take a summer college course, you need to determine where you will take it. Perhaps you want to stay at the four-year institution where you are working on your degree. Or maybe you'd prefer to take the course at a community college and transfer it back to your four-year school. The best option depends largely on the course or courses you plan to take, and on your personal situation.

Consider taking the course at your four-year school if:

- It is part of a series of courses or requirements that are offered for your major or are taught by the same professor. Sometimes the material in the second course will build upon the first in such a way that makes it difficult to go into the subsequent course if you've taken the first one elsewhere.

- You have a summer job or are participating in other activities on campus that would make it beneficial for you to stay at your university. In this case, taking a course may even allow you to live in campus housing during the summer months when most students are forced to go elsewhere.

- You have a financial aid or scholarships package that would cover you taking the course at your home school but not elsewhere.

Consider taking the course at a local community college if:

- You want to be at home during the summer to spend time with family and friends or work a local summer job.

- You need a cheaper option. Community college tuition is usually far less expensive than the cost of a four-year institution.

- You plan to take courses that are simply electives or meet general requirements.

If you decide to take a course at a local community college and transfer it back to your four-year institution, make sure you do the following before you get registered:

- Make sure that your university will give you transfer credit for the course. Talk with your academic advisor or the registrar's office about the course you plan to take. Generally transferability of the course will be based on the accreditation of the community college and on the specific course you plan to take. Make sure you also know what the minimum grade required to transfer the course will be.

- In addition to verifying whether the course itself is transferable, you need to know how it will apply towards your requirements at your home school. Earning credit is fine, but if you are trying to meet a major or general requirement you also want to make sure you've selected the right class to do so. Again, talk with your advisor about this. If your community college is one that is near your four-year institution, chances are that this process will be easy. You may even be able to find information about how the course will transfer on your school's web site. But if you are planning on taking a course at a community college in another state, your university may need your help in determining how the course can be applied to your requirements. Be prepared to provide them with a description of the course from the community college's catalog, or perhaps even a course outline or syllabus.

Allow yourself plenty of time to have the appropriate faculty or staff review the course, and get approvals in writing.

- Be very meticulous in getting courses that are prerequisites for other courses or are part of a series reviewed if you do choose to take one of them elsewhere. For example, the university where I am employed teaches a two-semester series in computer science, and so does the local community college. Together, both courses at the community college cover all the material discussed in our two courses. However, they teach things in a slightly different sequence. Some of the topics covered in Computer Science I at the university aren't covered until Computer Science II at the community college, and vice versa. So although we do accept the community college courses for transfer credit, we don't allow students to do one course at the community college and one course at the four-year school. Students who want to take part one of the series at the community college must commit to taking the second course there as well. Always consult with your advisor or an expert in the appropriate academic department when dealing with "series" courses or when taking a prerequisite for another course.

- Remember that universities may have other transfer policies which have nothing to do with the course itself or the accreditation of the community college. For example, most schools will only allow a certain number of total transfer credits. The university where I work will let students transfer in up to 60 credits from community colleges. If a student completes two full years at a community college and then transfers, they may already have that many credits awarded. Going back to the community college for an additional course is not an option in this case unless the student is willing to lose previously transferred credits.

Another example is that many universities require students to complete their senior year "in residence," or on campus, in order to graduate. Some universities with this policy in place may grant exceptions for one or two courses, while others may not.

Each university is unique, so make sure you understand not only transfer policies about the community college and the course in question, but the general rules and regulations as well.

Once you've completed the course:

- Request that the community college send an official transcript to your four-year school. This will be required before you can be awarded credit.

- Check your records at your four-year university to make sure that the transcript was received and your credit was awarded. If you don't see your credits on your record within the time frame it usually takes the four-year school to process transfer information, speak with the registrar's office or the transfer credit specialist. Sometimes information gets lost in the mail, or transcripts are sent out before grades are processed, which means that your four-year school can verify that you took the course but not that you completed it successfully. These circumstances are unusual, but they can happen, and you don't want to wait until the semester you plan to graduate to discover them and then have to backtrack to get another transcript sent.

Taking a summer course or two can get you ahead of the game or put you back on track if you've fallen a bit behind. If you don't overload your schedule, you can also have time to enjoy a bit of summer vacation. While summer playtime can't always be your number one priority, you should factor it in while you can. In most of the jobs students go into after graduation, summertime is just another bunch of days in the office. Enjoy your freedom while you can.