With the hot summer rolling in and classes simmering down at San Jacinto College, students couldn’t be more excited.

Everyone is thinking of finally having a break making it hard to think about continuing school through the summer months.

So why do it?

A few students at South campus had excellent advice regarding the importance of taking summer classes; as do I being a current San Jac student myself.

My first year in school was a struggle and the following summer, I didn’t register for classes as a few of my friends did. This past summer, I took a chance by taking Biology I and II in the summer sessions for 10 weeks.

I know… Crazy! But I passed both with As. It was tough I will admit, but I couldn’t have been happier when it was over and done with.

When you take classes during the regular semester, you have more days to slack off and forget the information that you learned just a few days earlier. Most of the classes we take are two days a week. For me, there is way too much time in between each meeting and I either forget the information, or put off doing the work.

Summer classes usually meet four times a week with more hours of class every day. This doesn’t sound fun for summer, but it will help you graduate sooner. Surprisingly, some students said they are more likely to pass a summer class than a class during the regular semester.

San Jac student Micah Askins said summer classes are much easier than regular semester classes.

“I will never have an empty summer until I graduate,” Askins said. “Summer classes are easier and I find it a waste of my time by not taking them and getting ahead. Why would anyone want to stay in school longer than they have to?”

Fellow student, Martin Adjovu, said up until now, he was afraid to take summer classes but he registered for the 2014 sessions ready to take on the challenge.

“I am a little worried about the summer classes,” Adjovu said, “but from what I hear, it’s better to take them during that time because it’s quick and it will be less to take during the regular semester.”

Summer classes might be intimidating, but if you really stick with it and stay organized you will not regret it. I never thought I would pass both biology classes during the summer sessions because I dropped one of them during the long 16-week semester. But shorter summer courses help students retain information and stay on top of their studies because they attend class daily.

It’s up to each individual as to whether or not to take advantage of summer and get ahead. Doesn’t everyone want to get out of school as fast as possible?