I spent a summer in South Bend

Summer school can’t be fun… right?

A lot of college students do some pretty exciting things with their summers. Whether it’s interning in Chicago or New York, studying abroad, or doing service, Notre Dame students in particular have very worthwhile and meaningful summer “vacations.”

Last summer, though, I went a different route: I went to summer school.

The concept of “summer school” has a pretty big stigma attached to it, or at least it did throughout high school. It typically meant that you didn’t pass all of your classes and needed to retake them in the summer so as to not fall behind. At Notre Dame, people often identify summer school with the former, or with athletes who need to be on campus for workouts or to take classes that their regular schedules do not allow.

I had some health issues during my sophomore year and was forced to drop two classes. Though it wasn’t entirely necessary, I decided to take two classes over the summer so I could still graduate with my intended major and two minors. This is a somewhat similar reason to what many students have.

So after spending the beginning weeks of summer living at home and interning at a nearby office, I arrived back in South Bend for the beginning of a six-week summer session. I was more than a little bit nervous about how it would go. Would campus feel empty? Would I get bored? Would the Dome still be shiny?

No, no, and yes. It turned out to be a great experience.

The first class that I took was Accountancy II. This was a class that I was glad to get out of the way, because though I’m a business major, accounting and I have never quite agreed with each other. I struggled through Accountancy I during the school year, but it was a completely different experience over the summer.

My smaller class of about 10 students meant that our professor gave us much more individualized attention. The lengthy class periods (an hour and 40 minutes) were more conducive to learning. I was able to keep up with the material, and I ended up with a great grade in the class.

The second class that I took was Philosophy of Religion. I’m so glad that I took it over the summer because I was actually able to keep up with all of the reading (which turned out to be really interesting!) With only two classes and a much more quiet social life, it’s much easier to stay up on assignments and actually learn the material, as opposed to cramming the night before tests.

Outside of class, those six weeks were even better. I took a job as a campus tour guide to make some money and occupy my time, and I loved showing prospective students a completely inaccurate representation of what South Bend weather is like. I traveled to Michigan and to Chicago for a couple of weekend getaways. I got a summer pass at the Burke golf course and managed to not improve at all despite playing many rounds.

I lived for the summer in an apartment with one of my good friends who happened to be interning with the South Bend Tribune. It was great to get a taste of off-campus living, to watch a lot of American Ninja Warrior, and to experiment with cooking. I was about 30 minutes late to philosophy one day because of my difficulties with making bacon, but that experience taught me so much about breakfast (turn the stove up higher) and about life (wake up earlier), and it helped shape me into the man I am today.

Most of us won’t ever attend summer school at Notre Dame, for a number of reasons. But when you hear that your friend will be spending their summer in sunny South Bend, do not pity them. Celebrate, for their upcoming weeks will be filled with fun, learning, and a dazzlingly shiny golden Dome.

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