Summer School's Worth Still Up for Debate Among Students

Washington State University students have found many benefits and drawbacks of summer school when comparing it against a regular semester.

Washington State University provides its students with an opportunity every summer to take full credit classes in less than half the time it takes for a regular fall or spring semester. WSU offers a wide range of classes during the summer. All of the basic classes are offered and most upper division classes are offered at least once during the multiple mini semesters of the summer.

But taking summer classes at WSU doesn’t come without a price. In-state students are charged $380 per credit hour they take, according to information provided by the university. That means a student who takes six credits, the norm in summer school, pays $2,280. That number jumps to $3,420 with nine credits. The rates are even higher for out-of-state students. Zach Wittman, a junior Communications major, weighed in on the issue.

“What we pay for summer classes is ridiculous,” Wittman said. “With all the added fees and books it could be just as expensive as a regular semester.”

Those extra fees include a $86 charge for use of the Student Recreation Center, a $72 charge for the Compton Union Building, and a $54 charge for the Student Health and Wellness Center. Add in a couple hundred dollars for text books and the costs soon rise to match what students pay in the fall and spring.

With the upcoming tuition raise kicking in next fall, many students are trying to take as many classes at the cheaper rate as they possibly can. According to WSU, tuition will be nearly $4,300 per semester for in-state students next year. Out-of-state students will pay a whopping $9,800 per semester.

Senior Elementary Education major Keith Noren is one student who is trying to take classes this summer to cut down on costs.

“I’m trying to take as many classes this summer as I can,” Noren said. “It will save me money in the long run.”

There are other benefits for students who decide to stay in Pullman for the summer. Class sizes are usually smaller in numbers, which can lead to a better relationship with professors and other students. Students often say that summer classes are more relaxed and stress free then regular semesters even though the length of class is cut by two and a half months.

“I really like meeting everyday of the week,” Wittman said. “It keeps my focus where it needs to be and I don’t get behind in course work.”

Some students disagree and Noren is one of them.

“I like how we only meet two or three days a week during the regular semester,” Noren said. “It allows me to digest the information in class better then the go-go-go atmosphere of summer classes.”

The length of the different semester has also been debated by students. Some think that the six week sessions are appropriate in length. While others think that they are a little too quick to fully understand all the information discussed in class.

Wittman believes the summer session is the right amount of time and would like to see regular semesters become shorter in length.

“We don’t need 16 weeks to take a class,” Wittman said. “Quite frankly, we are learning the material at the rate we should be during the summer. I wouldn’t mind seeing the university switch to the quarter system to make class length shorter during the regular school year.”

None the less, students have found a variety of reasons to stay in Pullman during the summer.