Oh, summer. It seems like we wait all year to get to summer. You get to go home and see your friends, be back in your own bed, and spend some much needed time not stressing out about school. What if I told you that staying to take classes for the summer is actually one of the best decisions you can make? Spoiler alert: it is.

Here's the thing, we know that taking summer classes is not our first choice in regards to how we want to spend our summer. In the end it becomes so beneficial for you it seems kind of crazy not to. In the summer class sizes are smaller. You'll know it's summer when you walk around an empty campus. The professors have more of an ability to teach you in a smaller class size. Instead of having 100 kids in your class, you may have around 20. It's easier to get one on one help and ask your professors the necessary questions you have that you might not have been able to ask in a large class size.

Speaking of professors...they tend to be a little more lenient in the summer. It is summer after all. I'm not saying your class is going to be easy, but it might not be as hard as it will be in the fall. A lot of professors tend to be graduate students. They are easy to talk to because they were in our shoes not too long ago. They know what it feels like to be pursuing that degree and what it takes. Summer classes would be a perfect chance to get advice from graduate students and professors.

One of the major advantages of taking summer classes is being able to get ahead. We all want to get ahead when we have the chance, right? Summer classes are your chance to do just that. Taking summer classes gives you the opportunity to get ahead on classes, or even retake that class that was giving you trouble in the fall. Taking summer classes puts you in a position to graduate early. I know we all wish we could live in college forever, but being able to graduate early is a great option. You give yourself a competitive advantage for the work force. You even give yourself better opportunities to find a great job or internship while everyone else is still in school. Summer classes can do this for you.

I know summer classes don't cross all of our minds that often, but it's time we change that. Stay proactive and give yourself that competitive advantage. We need whatever help we can get. Taking summer classes gives you more options of what to do with your last few semesters of school. We love choices. Let's make the best decision we can make, and start looking at taking summer classes!