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| Are you Summer School Material? |
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For students at a commuter college like Portland State, the concept of schooling in the summer is very feasible. With the job market down, it seems a logical choice more now than ever. But what can the unknowing student expect from these condensed course loads? Moreover, are conditions doable, considering potential links with heat and cognitive impairment? Ultimately, how may one rest assured summer school is for them? I asked some veterans for the skinny. Characteristic of a Summer Scholar #1: Dicey. Someone who is prepared for heightened rigor and is willing to chance this encounter with the possibility of ending up with a more laid-back class. Junior Andy Barlow explains that, “[Summer classes are] actually a little more rigorous than normal classes. The classes are usually smaller, and so there is more time for the teachers to really get involved with students.” Future math teacher and senior Lukas Weisel disagrees, referring to teachers in the engineering classes as, “more laid back in the homework zone.” Seems to me there’s a lottery in the works, with slightly extended opposite outcomes. In this case, it is smart to consider Barlow’s advice in that we shouldn’t, “expect things to be easier. Just like in normal school, it all depends on the teacher. So, come prepared to get your butt kicked.” Characteristic of a Summer Scholar #2: Loner. Those who like to escape civilization and bask in the forests of the Northwest, for instance. (Also, those who think humankind is annoying). Barlow explains that, “School in general [during the summer] can be like a ghost town,” which he thinks is, “pretty sweet.” Characteristic of a Summer Scholar #3: Temperature insensitive. A perfect candidate for both firewalking and the Iditarod, a trooper in the realm of Fahrenheit (or Celsius for you foreign kids). Here’s the scoop: classrooms in the summer can get both humid and chill-worthy. Barlow dubbed the wrestling room at the Stott Center as number one on humidity. He additionally identifies, “certain rooms on the upper floors of Neuberger and Cramer,” as tending to get “unpleasantly warm. It is really hard doing even basic algebra in 90-plus-degree heat.” Although Weisel experienced this heat, too, singling out the former PCAT building as the scorch-iest and not failing to thank, “PSU enough for tearing it down,” he has a different problem, as well. “The rooms are air-conditioned to the point that you are stepping into winter conditions. It’s ridiculously cold. Cramer and Neuberger Halls are the worst with the rooms being too cold,” he explains. Prepare for both climates like Barlow, who “[comes] with a liter or two of good ol’ aqua,” and like Weisel, by “packing a winter coat.” All in all, the summer school experience at Portland State seems to be not all too bad. Barlow ultimately concluded that he was a big fan of summer classes: “I feel the education is better, the atmosphere is nicer—on account of the weather, I suppose—and you really get to know the teachers better.” Others, like Rearguard’s own Theodora Karatzas, think that there really isn’t a difference between summer and any other term aside from, “a lot of obvious comments about how hot it [is] outside and a sudden increase in slutty-looking girls on campus.” And even though Karatzas explains that, “windows are distracting and [it] can get really toasty, but the rooms with no windows are a little tomb-like and oppressive [and] either way, you lose,” it seems like summer school is a good way of balancing a season with both fun but also educational flourishing. Just don’t get too carried away. In the words of Weisel, “It’s great to get classes out of the way. The important thing to remember is that you probably won’t have another chance to mooch off mom and dad and have a carefree summer.”  |
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