EFSC summer term starts this week

Many Eastern Florida State College dual-enrollment students will be starting their respective summer classes while the high-school year is still ongoing. Classes for the Term A session will begin this week, approximately two weeks before the high school year is set to end.

“With summer classes at the college beginning right during the midst of AP testing, and a few weeks before exams are set to begin, it brings forth a stressful period of time during the end of the year,” junior Zack Shahzad said. “I have to take classes online to meet graduation requirements over the summer, so it’s another class that I got to remember to take care of while trying to study for exams and finish off the last part of my junior year.”

Online classes are available beginning today. As a result, some are forced to take classes during Term A.

“This is my first time taking a class at Eastern Florida, and it was a big hassle signing up for the class because they don’t usually allow first-time students to take the courses online,” freshman Madeleine Coalter said. “I had to sign up for the class for Term A, because I will be traveling and won’t be able to attend physical classes. Having a college class start during the normal school year is very stressful because everything gets crazy at the end of the year with testing.”

But end-of-the-year exams aren’t the only cause for anxiety.

“I feel that my summer classes will be a huge challenge for me,” junior Scarlett Heuett said. “I’ll be taking Gen Bio 1 as a hybrid and pre-calculus These classes are going to be harder for me since I am taking them in a short amount of time which will prove to be difficult.”

Junior Rebecca Hallanan said she plans to take more laid-back classes during the summer so she can focus on her job.

“I feel prepared for my classes because I know the workload that comes with online classes,” Hallanan said. “I already have the start date of the classes, my textbook and experience from previously taking a class online last summer.”

Heuett said said these summer courses will help prepare her for early admissions in August.

“I want to take Calculus 1, but I need pre-calculus to take Calculus 1,” she said. “It will allow me to prepare myself to work harder for the classes to come in my academic future.”

Hallanan said her classes also will help her be able to transfer into various fields throughout her academic career.

“Since I am taking abnormal psychology over the summer, I feel that I will be able to learn how to better interact with people and understand their mindset,” Hallanan said. “It could probably help me feel more empathetic towards people as well.”

The 12-week Summer Session A online courses begin May 13, the eight-week Summer Term C on campus courses begin June 10 and the six-week Summer Term D on campus courses begin June 24.

By Jonelle Plahuta and Abriana Camilo