Starting in the Summer

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Alabama
1

<p>Has anyone had any experience starting in the summer vice the fall? I’m getting out of the military at the end of march and starting in may so i can start my Gi Bill benefits as quickly as possible and wanted to see if anyone had any experience with it.</p>

<p>I’m still waiting on an official evaluation to see what/if i’m get credit for but assuming I get credit for nothing (plan for the worst right?) I’ll be taking a freshman english class and either precalc or calc 1 (its been a while…) and then probably one of the ENGR courses. Mechanical Engineering major here.</p>

2

<p>Do you have access to look up courses using mybama? If so, you can go to the summer 2012 course selection and see what courses they offered last summer. Beware that only certain courses are taught certain semesters, and a quick look at summer 2012 showed me that Eng 103 (advanced English class for those who qualify, and takes care of both Eng 101 and 102, which is nice) is NOT taught during the summer. Also, the basic eng’g classes Eng’g 131 and 141 are often taken together (for those who qualify) as a combined course called Eng’g 142. Eng’g 142 is also not taught during summer. So, you might be spending a summer semester at these lower classes (Eng 101, Eng’g 131 and Eng’g 141) when if you registered in Fall instead, you could (if you qualified), take Eng 103 and Eng’g 142 INSTEAD, thus saving yourself 2 classes, and earning Honors credits to boot. Talk w/ your eng’g advisor about all this.</p>

<p>Also, take the math placement test and see where you should be placed for math classes. Although you are rusty, you might surprise yourself. Math 121 is not an accepted class for Eng’g majors. Bonus of starting in summer is you have very small classes in calc, compared to the regular semesters. Not sure if there are as many on-campus tutoring resources available, however. </p>

<p>Finally, since you are from the military, you would be familiar with CLEP tests. Look at any tests you can take in lieu of classes. Here is useful link for you: [Credit</a> for Examination Performance and Experience < The University of Alabama](<a href=“http://courseleaf.ua.edu/introduction/admissions/examcredit/]Credit”>http://courseleaf.ua.edu/introduction/admissions/examcredit/)
I would spend the summer working and saving money. But good luck to you whatever you decide to do!</p>

3

<p>Oh, and here is a complete list of all the courses you can get credit for at UA, from AP, CLEP, and so forth: [University</a> of Alabama Undergraduate Catalog 2010-12](<a href=“Page Not Found | The University of Alabama”>Page Not Found | The University of Alabama)</p>

4

<p>Just remember to get your Full BAH you will have to be fulltime, 12credit hours I believe for the VA, So you would really only want to take Full Session Summer courses or at least 12 credit hours over the full session then add one over the Half Session. I will say the summer courses are typically quicker pace and may not be the best conditions to transition from Military Life. Beyond that you want to be sure that you are not shorting yourself VA money by taking a lighter load…12hrs hours vs. 15+ that you would take during a regular semester.</p>

5

<p>be sure that you are not shorting yourself VA money by taking a lighter load…12hrs hours vs. 15+ that you would take during a regular semester.</p>

<p>I agree. going over the summer may end up hurting you in the long run. You may run out of funding before finishing your degree.</p>

<p>Do you have family that you can stay with over the summer? If so, that might give you an opportunity to work and save some money before classes start in the fall.</p>