College classes taking over high school summers

Anum Khan, a student at Whitney High in Cerritos, writes:

(The beach ... not a daily destination for competitive high school students.)

There’s a trend taking over high school students’ summers. It’s not tanning, getting that coveted internship at your local politician’s office or traveling to Africa to help orphans.

It’s taking college classes.

I’ve taken two classes at Cerritos College -- political science last summer, and philosophy, which ended earlier this month.

Some people treat these classes like the Olympics, trying to take as many challenging classes as they can to get some prestigious degree (or to put them on their college application). Though I can’t say the latter wasn’t a factor, I took them mostly to fill extra time and just to see what they were all about.
Frankly, they were probably easier than any class I’ve taken in high school.
Easier on the brain that is, definitely not on the wallet.

For poli sci, my book cost more than $100, and I read only the parts needed for the test. For philosophy, my two flimsy paperback books cost me almost $80 combined.

Because poli sci was an online class, all the tests were online. Meaning we could look at our book whenever we wanted to. Meaning I didn’t really study (Sorry, Ms. Gaffaney!). Our teacher, however (whom I met during orientation), was really great.

Compared with poli sci, my philosophy class was a bit more eventful. We had class two hours a day, four days a week, for six weeks (I have to admit, the schedule almost kept me from taking the class). At first, I treated it like a normal class. I got my binder, carefully made labels for all the sections (adding in an “extras” tab just in case), and diligently hole-punched every paper. I read ahead for every “surprise” quiz (which none of them ended up being, despite what Mr. Stolze kept telling us).

By the end of the course, I had stopped reading “Problems from Philosophy” (which really wasn’t as bad as it may sound). The high point of my laziness came when I would wake up for my 10:15 class at 9:45, desperately peruse the chapter assigned from PFP (and not really absorb any material), and then find out we had a quiz (essay style).

Well, quantity over quality prevailed (something I learned back in sophomore year). I’d write a long essay for the quiz (without much substance), and still get a full score.

But don’t get me wrong. Even though the college classes I took were not as academically challenging as in high school (which really isn’t a surprise considering they were beginning level), they definitely add another dimension to any high schooler’s education. In my philosophy class, we had a U.S. marine, two people from Nigeria, someone whose friend had just died (and this was when we were discussing if an afterlife exists or not), and a teacher from North Dakota. Nothing at all like a bunch of 17-year-olds in high school.

And although I wasn’t really worried about getting an A, the classes were still worth taking. Maybe it’s just that I like being busy, but maybe it’s because I loved the sheer mix of people in my class.

And just because a class isn’t grueling doesn’t mean that people don’t learn. Want to know what Socrate’s justifications were for drinking the poisonous hemlock given to him by the Greek government? Or what the Turin test is all about? I can tell you.

Ultimately, it comes down to this: If you’re not able to snag that internship, or take that trip abroad, or even if you are and you’re just looking for something extra to do, taking a summer class at your local community college should definitely be an option for any high school student.