You’ve completed first semester, and your final grades are recorded. In fact, semester two is in full swing, so you’ve probably already got your eye on the calendar for summer. If you’re ready to prepare for your summer courses, whether it’s to get ahead or make up some credits you missed, online summer school is a great option to investigate.
But how does online summer school work? Excel High School has the information you need to decide if taking courses online is the right move for you.
Why Choose Online?
When you take summer classes online, you have a few advantages. Whether you’re catching up on credits or just trying to get ahead, you don’t have to lose your summer to earn credits taking online courses through EHS. In fact, because of our open enrollment, if you already know what courses you want to take this summer, you can get a jumpstart on them right away by enrolling during second semester. Starting during second semester allows you to get used to the format and course content before school lets out for summer. If you have the time, you could be halfway done by the time your peers are just starting their summer classes in traditional school settings.
Because our courses are flexible and self-paced, even if you do wait to start your courses until school lets out for the summer holiday, you are still not tied down by required attendance in a traditional classroom setting. You can take your coursework with you as you travel to visit friends and family all summer long. If late night hours work best for you, that’s fine! As long as you have access to a computer or laptop and an internet connection, you’ll be prepared to work on your courses regardless of your location or the time of day.
This flexibility is also an advantage because you’re also in charge of how quickly you work through the content. You are allowed to take your final exam within 30 calendar days of active enrollment in your course, so if you can complete the coursework within that amount of time, you’ll be done with your summer classes in no time. If you’re planning a busy summer and need more time, that’s okay, too. Just remember that a self-paced course means that it’s up to you to determine how much time you’re going to spend on your course to get it done as quickly as possible.
With online summer courses, the schedule is up to you, giving you the freedom to enjoy your summer and earn credits in your own way and on your own schedule.
How It Works
Enrolling in summer courses with Excel is easy. Just like our courses are 100% online, enrollment is online, too. Once you decide which course you want to take, you complete the enrollment information online, pay for your class, and start within 24-48 hours. You’ll receive a Welcome Email from our enrollment team with instructions about how to access your course.
From the date that you’re enrolled in your class, you have a full 12 months to complete your work, so keep that in mind if you’re trying to take some extra courses to get ahead or to explore some career interests. However, if you’re wanting to finish your work before school starts in August or September, your pacing is going to look a bit different.
What to Expect
After you access your course, your first step will be to figure out your individual pacing. Take a look at your coursework and add up the number of lessons, quizzes, and essays you need to complete. Once you have that number, do some basic math by dividing that number by the number of days you want to complete the course in, and you’ll have a solid idea of how much work you need to do to finish by that date.
Remember, it’s going to be up to you to keep track of your schedule, so having strong organizational skills and holding yourself accountable for your schedule is going to be important. You might want to keep track of your progress with the help of an adult who can help motivate you to finish on time. Whatever you do, don’t put off your work until the final weeks before the new school year starts! You want to be out with friends enjoying the last days of summer, not stuck at a laptop frantically finishing your work.
Because you can take your courses with you wherever you go this summer, be sure to keep that in mind when making plans with family and friends. Don’t be afraid to schedule the fun visits, but also let others know that you might need to do a few hours of school work each day to stay on track. Your friends and family members will be delighted to see you, but they’ll respect your need to work on school, too, especially if you let them know ahead of time.
You’re allowed to use your notes on all of your quizzes and exams, so taking organized, clear notes is going to help you work through your courses even more quickly and with confidence that you’ll earn the score you want. Another advantage of our online programs is that you can take all of your quizzes and your final exam twice, so if you find that your notes need a little more added to them after a first attempt, you can do that before you take your final attempt. Since you also have two attempts to submit any essays that you might be required to write, you can revise anything you need after your first attempt on essays by following the helpful notes from your instructor. We want to see you succeed, so we give you every opportunity to do your best.
Once you’ve followed your schedule and completed your course, you’ll let our team know you’ve completed your coursework and your exam. When your final grade is recorded, your final step is to request a transcript be sent to your school through our registrar’s office online.
Summer is an important time for you to relax, have some fun, work, and get those credits you want or need. If you’re looking for a way to do it all while attending summer school, too, Excel High School’s online courses might be exactly what you need. For more information, feel free to give us a call at 1-800-620-3844 or call/text 952-465-3700. We’ll be happy to help you decide if online summer school is right for you.
