By Chris Lachenmaier
Staff Writer
IG: @chrissylach
College students are about to start summer, and they are about to get a break from school.
But in some situations, students are still putting in the work.
Many students will take summer classes, but it can come with some challenges. Matt Wilper, a Macroecomics and Microeconomics instructor at Hutchinson Community College teaches those class in the summer, and he does them online.
“There are no requirements for taking my online classes but they are going to be condensed and with the same amount of material,” Wilper said.
With shorter time to do work, some students don’t want anything to do with these online classes. Andrew Martin, a freshman studying general education, is skeptical that he could do a summer class.
“I don’t know if I could handle both,” Martin said about working in the summer and potentially taking a class or two. “I’m going to be working a lot anyway, so trying to balance school on top of that would be a struggle.”
Wilper said summer classes take discipline.
“You have to be dedicated to it and dedicate a chunk of your time to it and to stay focused,” Wilper said.
It is known for online students that they don’t even have to walk into the college, but the in-person classes are different.
Wilper said in his in-person classes, he “spoon-feeds” you answers that might be on the quiz for future use.
“The only positive of being online has to be not having that set schedule for school,” Martin said. “I wake up early at 8 every morning but I might not even do my school work until later that afternoon.”
Online summer classes aren’t for everyone, but it is an option to get ahead or make up time. But in online classes, communication is important with instructors.
“I can’t tell when they are struggling online unless they communicate with me, unlike if they are in person I can just tell by their posture or reaction that they might need better explanation and instruction,” Wilper said.
