Maximizing your potential in high school requires making good use of your time, and summer is no exception. Taking a college course is one of many activities that look great on college applications, but do the benefits really outweigh the downsides? Here’s an overview of where you can take community college courses, whether or not a college summer course could be good for you, and some recommendations on what to take.
There are multiple community colleges in the area, including San Jose City College (SJCC) and Evergreen Valley College (EVC). SJCC has an extension right across the street from Milpitas High School. Location is not as big of a factor, however, as many schools are still doing online courses for the 2021 summer term. SJCC has their courses entirely online for this summer.
“The classes are harder, but you’re challenged more. And, maybe you’re the kind of student who wants to be challenged more,” Michael Castro, the enrollment coordinator at SJCC, said over a Zoom interview. “[Another benefit is] knocking off credit; maybe you do get credit, and it matches [requirements] at the high school. But also when you go into college, you’re knocking off credit for college,” Castro added.
A third benefit is that community college courses are all free classes, and taking them lets you save a lot of tuition money that would have to be spent in a four-year college, Castro said. In addition, college classes are much more diverse than high school classes and allow you to explore more options as well as experience a college-level learning environment, which can be very different from high school, Castro continued.
On the other hand, it’s very easy to overload yourself and get overwhelmed since college courses are much more accelerated. “If you miss a day, it’s like missing a week. And then the catch up is relentless,” Castro said. “And, you’re giving up a lot of your summer too… We end in July, so you get the beginning of August to do something, but for the most part you’re doing your classes all summer from June till the beginning of August,” he added. College courses are a big commitment, so other plans, like trips or other extracurriculars, would be limited, Castro said.
As for courses to take, the wide variety of classes offered allows you to explore a lot of different interests, or earn credits for graduation, Castro said. Many students choose to take US History over the summer to clear the requirement and free up their schedule, or a math class to move farther ahead into the AP classes, Castro added. If you skipped Life Management in freshman year for maybe a music class, a humanities class can be great to finish the 3.5 semester requirement for graduation, Castro continued. You can also take something you’re interested in that is not offered at MHS, like anthropology, business, or even a second language beyond the four that are offered here, and keep in mind that incoming sophomores and juniors are only allowed to take one course during the summer, while incoming seniors can take up to two, Castro elaborated.
Overall, there’s no definitive answer on whether or not summer college courses are right for you, but these are main factors to consider. The benefits of taking a summer college course are being able to explore various interests and move ahead in subject areas, but the downsides are giving up a lot of time during summer vacation and the increased difficulty of the classes. Enjoy your summer, regardless of what you decide to do!