As someone who has taken classes over both summer and winter breaks, I cannot recommend intersession courses highly enough! Sure there are some cons to taking these classes, like sacrificing part of your scheduled vacation time, and working extra hard to learn a whole semesters-worth of material in just a couple of weeks. Nevertheless, the pros FAR outweigh the cons when it comes to intersession courses.
The material is super condensed, and oftentimes, professors have to omit some material they would typically cover during a normal semester in order to fit it into a few weeks. This is a major plus to consider for anyone who is looking to get a trivial gen-ed out of the way. Some classes that also utilize online homework modulus throughout the semester such as WebAssign and ALEKS, cannot assign as many problem sets each week.
That’s not to say that these courses aren’t challenging. You have a lot of work you have to do and a very short time in which to do it. And when there aren’t as many minor homework assignments throughout the course, your assessments become worth so much more. It is essential then that you stay on top of your course material and study hard.
All things considered, taking summer and winter intersession courses was the best academic decision I made at college. I highly encourage anyone who is interested in an intersession course over winter or summer break to take advantage of what UConn has to offer, and also to take advantage of the following advice:
Don’t be afraid to take a challenging course!
We’ve all heard the rumors and read the Rate My Professor posts for certain classes…some of them seen pretty rough. Some of these courses, such as Organic Chemistry, Calculus, and Physics may be major requirements that you definitely can’t avoid forever. I highly suggest taking one of these more difficult classes over a break if you can.
This is beneficial for many reasons, one being that you only have to take it for a few weeks as opposed to a few months This means that if you really don’t love the course material, or if you find it especially challenging, you only have to power through for a much shorter time. Students typically only take one intersession course at a time. This is great when you’re taking a more challenging class because you don’t have to juggle it with a whole course load the way that you would during a typical semester. Summer and winter classes also mean smaller class size. This is perhaps the greatest aspect of the intersession. This means more one-on-one assistance from professors and TAs. More individualized learning in smaller lectures creates a great environment for learning, and for student-teacher bonding. Working hard and standing out in an intersession course is a great way to get to know your teacher on a more personal level. This is an amazing opportunity for anyone looking for a professor’s letter of recommendation.
And online classes are great, but be careful!
I think a lot of students are tempted by the stereotypical idea of online classes. I mean, who wouldn’t want to just watch video lectures and stay at home every day? Online classes are awesome, especially during the winter intersession when classes only last two weeks, but don’t underestimate your workload. There may be a lot more work involved in an online class than you would anticipate. There are many lectures, videos and reading assignments that you will have to complete each day. You may also have to write responses to what you’ve watched/read, and contribute to a discussion board. Every online course is different, so this is not to say that there are no “easy A” classes, I would just strongly advise that you research the class you are interested in in the course catalogue to make sure that it is really something that you want to commit to. A complete list of intersession courses that UConn offers are available on the winter and summer session website, as well as on the student administration system. Some course syllabi are even made available to interested students on the website, so make sure you check it out.
Taking a course at a branch is not a bad option either!
UConn is awesome in that there are so many campuses across the state. Each branch has different professors and different courses. This means that you have a great pool of classes and professors to choose from when you’re registering for an intersession course. We all know that some options are better for others, so this is a great opportunity to select a class and a professor that is a good fit for you!
Also, exploring a branch that you have never been to before is a really cool experience. You get to meet new people and learn in a new place, which is super exciting. For example, I really enjoyed taking Calculus II at the Waterbury branch this past summer. It was neat to meet people from all over the state and to work with an awesome professor whom I would never have encountered at the Storrs campus.
At the end of the day, intersession courses are challenging in some of the same ways that regular semester courses are. However, I can’t recommend taking intersession courses enough. It is not only an excellent way to spend your time over break productively (especially if you spend most of your breaks sleeping in and hanging out like yours truly), but it’s a great opportunity to get ahead and ease your workload during the fall and spring.