It is becoming increasingly popular for Ohio University students to transfer credit hours taken at other colleges over the summer break.
OU has 20 community college partners that students can take classes at with no worries about whether or not the credit will transfer.
Many students choose to take classes over the summer for various reasons. Doing so can save money or put the student on a faster track to graduate. Some students choose to take extra classes because they have two majors.
“I wanted to double major at Ohio University, and (taking classes over the summer) made it easier to get ahead,” Thomas Hayes, a sophomore studying sports management and marketing, said.
Hayes took a class at the University of Kentucky last summer. He chose to take a class at UK because it was very close to his home, and he was still able to work.
Rob Drapcho, senior associate director for transfer initiatives, said there are numerous advantages to taking classes over the summer, regardless of if they are taken at OU.
“The benefits can be significant, including the ability for a student to accelerate their timeline toward graduation, enroll in additional discipline areas of interest, or balance their academic course load to allow for future participation in an internship or educational experience abroad,” Drapcho said in an email.
For Hayes, the major benefit of taking a class was being able to get into higher-level courses at OU.
“(Taking a class) really helped a lot,” Hayes said. “It helped me get into advanced classes sooner.”
Elijah Sweet, a freshman studying journalism, plans on taking a few courses over the summer at Columbus State Community College.
“I thought about what classes I want to take at OU, and I don’t want to take classes that don’t focus on my major,” Sweet said.
Sweet is interested in possibly taking extra classes at OU that are interesting to him, rather than spending all of his time in general education classes.
“Most classes might be easier through Columbus State,” Sweet said.
Drapcho also explained that OU has many course offerings over the summer, but if a student is not able to take summer courses at OU, there is nothing to worry about.
“OHIO’s students benefit from a robust network of guaranteed transferability of courses as outlined through state policy and the institution’s strong relationship with its community colleges in the region,” Drapcho said in an email.
Hayes suggests that all students take a class over the summer, if possible.
“It’s a good idea to get ahead, so you can focus on you major classes and not gen-eds,” Hayes said.
