For everyone that has ever gone to college the time before you leave home is pretty bittersweet. It is hard to imagine that you will be leaving your family and friends in just a short amount of time. So why would you want to cut that time short and go to summer session?
Before I attended the summer of my freshman year, I could have easily made a long list of reasons why I didn’t want go. But as a current sophomore, I still remember that summer fondly and could list a hundred reasons why it was great.
Here are just a few reasons why you should attend summer session:
Because your LEAP group will be awesome. LEAP, or more formally known as the Learning Edge Academic Program, was one of the highlights of my summer session. The program puts you in a group of about 20 people who take the same classes as you do. You are also paired with an upperclassman that is your mentor for the summer. LEAP was an awesome way to introduce me to college classes! I loved my LEAP group and am still friends with a few of them.
Because of the classes you will take. One of the scariest parts of going to college is the idea that classes will be much harder than high school classes. By going to summer session you get ahead start on what those classes will be like. Come fall, you will be ready to tackle that full schedule and will already have a few required classes down.
Because of the friends you will make. Summer session is pretty much exactly like fall, but less people. It’s a great environment for incoming freshman to meet new people that will be your friends when fall semester starts. My summer session roommate has become my best friend along with the girls we met on our floor! My college experience would not be the same if I had not met them over the summer.
(To learn more about finding a roommate check out https://sites.psu.edu/lionlife/2015/01/15/how-to-find-the-perfect-freshman-roommate-part-1/)
Because you’ll know how to use the washing machine. Come fall, you’ll be a pro of on campus living. How do you get to the HUB? Where do you pick up packages? What happens if you lose your ID? The answers to these questions will be second nature and you’ll be able to impress all your new fiends on your knowledge of how everything works.
The best way to truly understand the greatness of summer session is to attend it yourself. For more information on Penn State’s 2015-summer session visit http://www.psu.edu/summersession/
skf5102 says
Yes! LEAP is for all first year students attending summer session
gfd5042 says
If you are commuting can you still be a part of LEAP?