A rainy, summer afternoon finds Ellie Freeman studying on campus in the Crossroads. Except for a few other students scattered around, the social hub on campus is empty. The Crossroads can serve as a great place to study during the quiet seven-week break.
Freeman is a freshman studying psychology. Freeman moved from California to Rexburg at the start of summer term to take in-person classes. For now, she says she is working on her general education credits
“I haven’t had in-person school since January 2020, and I just wanted to get a head start on school,” Freeman said.
She is currently taking two face-to-face classes and two online classes. Freeman said that coming to campus makes her feel excited and confident for the upcoming fall semester.
“I feel like I’ll know where stuff is on campus before things get crazy,” Freeman said.
Whether they are new students, like Ellie Freeman, or returning, thousands of BYU-Idaho students are taking advantage of summer term course offerings.
Official 2021 Summer Session enrollment numbers for both on-campus and online students at BYU-Idaho total 3,050 students currently enrolled in at least one course.
Statistics released for the 2021 Summer Session show that 440 students are taking face-to-face classes on campus, 1,019 campus-based students are taking online courses, and another 223 students are fulfilling internships. In addition, 1,848 online students are also taking at least one course this summer.
BYU-Idaho’s summer session is a six-week academic term between the spring and fall semesters. The intensive courses, condensed into a six-week curriculum, allow students to continue their academic progress year-round. Many students hope enrolling in summer session courses will allow them to earn their degree faster.
Kaitlin Ward, a senior studying public health, is taking an online course this summer so that she can graduate this coming winter semester. She plans to work after graduating and is considering going to graduate school in Arizona next year.
“It’s kind of scary to think about going out into the real world, but it’s also exciting to think about all the opportunities,” Ward said.
Ward did year-round school so she could graduate sooner and is happy with the results.
“It gets kind of exhausting to do school all year round, but I’m so glad it’s an option,” Ward said.