Students get to know one another pretty quickly while taking summer classes at Onondaga Community College. Take for example Professor Kristen Costello’s Microeconomics (ECO 204) class. During the five-week session, class was held every Monday through Thursday from 8:10 to 10:10 a.m. Students worked hard while forming new friendships which sometimes extended outside the classroom. On one occasion students went from class to Panchito’s in Syracuse’s Valley section where fish tacos were the food of choice. “Everyone was invited,” said student Kristen DeFeo (Cazenovia HS). “We’re like a little family in this class.”
Summer classes on the OCC campus fulfill student’s needs for a variety of reasons. “I needed one more class to make my credit minimum for my scholarship. I had already had Professor Costello for Marketing and liked her,” said James Shea (Noble HS in North Berwick, Maine).
One student took the class because her schedule only allows her to go to school part-time. Another was trying to erase a bad grade from the first time he took a similar course at another college. Most were simply trying to get ahead and lighten their loads during the fall and spring semesters.
With a more concentrated schedule during the summer, coursework moves fast. “Classes are very intense. Because they’re smaller you get more personal attention which helps. You retain more,” said Jamison Adist (Liverpool HS).
If you are considering summer classes in future years but are concerned they will get in the way, Forrest Thompson (Living Word Academy) says that’s not the case. “I was able to take summer classes, do all of the schoolwork within the time of the class and still enjoy my summer. You aren’t going to miss out on anything taking summer classes. It’s just prioritizing your time, getting ahead of your schedule and going for it.”
