This post was updated Sept 2. at 7:41 p.m.

It’s that time of year again – you’re finally home. You can spend long nights relaxing with friends who you haven’t seen the whole year and your dog, Sam, who has been patiently awaiting your arrival for the last six months.

If only you could spend the whole summer with them.

But this year, your summer break will be cut short. In just a week, you’ll be back on campus, still in class, as you have been for the whole year.

Goodbye, Sam.

For years, UCLA students have been given the option to fulfill their college requirements during the various summer sessions. This valuable opportunity allows students to get ahead or avoid falling behind on their coursework, reducing the frenzy of the academic year.

Courses ranging from six to 10 weeks provide flexibility, allowing students to choose a format that aligns with their summer goals. Additionally, Summer Online lets students earn college credit from wherever they desire.

However, with only around half of the summer courses being available online, the limited offerings force many students to cut their breaks short and return to campus if they want to complete major requirements.

From an organizational standpoint, this issue seems straightforward. UCLA already offers numerous summer classes, so it’s only reasonable to expect more online options for students who wish to stay home or travel over the summer.

Paige Potvin, a recent UCLA alumnus, took summer classes every year throughout her undergraduate experience.

“I liked how they were online because then obviously I could go home and do my classes in LA, or I could travel while also doing them,” she said.

Christie Vu, a rising fourth-year psychobiology student, appreciates the option to enroll in summer classes online.

“I need to graduate and I can’t be here during the summer, so it’s really nice to have that option,” Vu said.

Other students note that the online option is desirable as it can alleviate stress.

Sophia Adkins, a rising second-year psychobiology student, said there are benefits of taking exams online, as it allows for better focus in a familiar environment.

Besides offering a more flexible and comfortable learning environment, taking summer classes online provides financial benefits. Bruins avoid paying Westwood rent, which is notoriously high, once ranking as the most expensive zip code in California in 2019.

“Housing is really expensive over the summer, so a lot of people just can’t take the in-person summer classes because either they can’t afford it or they have plans with their family,” said Gianna Karkafi, a rising second-year neuroscience student.

Even students who don’t require summer housing can still save on gas, public transportation and parking fees.

Another advantage for many students is the opportunity to enroll in classes that they might not otherwise be able to secure spots in during the regular academic year. Some students, such as Adkins, believe they have no choice but to take classes during the summer because they are doubtful of their chances of enrollment during the regular school year.

“It’s unfortunate that it actually has to come to the point where I have to take summer classes because obviously most students have worked hard all year long,” Adkins said.

Potvin and Karkafi said they would have taken extra classes during the summer had they been offered online.

Potvin also said it would have been easier to secure all of her requirements if there had been summer engineering classes available, as she added a minor and was afraid of not securing spots during the school year.

“Since it’s my minor, I couldn’t use my first pass on it. So I really had to hope that they (classes) wouldn’t fill up so I could graduate on time,” Potvin said.

Karkafi noted that she would have benefited from taking courses in the physics series as online summer courses since spots in those classes are always particularly difficult to obtain.

“I think if they made them (physics classes) online over the summer, more people would be able to take them over the summer and then the competitiveness of getting them over the year would also be less,” Karkafi said.

While there are a lot of scheduling benefits to being online over the summer, it’s also true that some students simply prefer an in-person format. Many students believe that in-person classes improve focus and provide more adequate academic support, from both professors and peers.

“It’s definitely hard sometimes because you don’t really meet people in your classes. So, I can’t really form a study group,” Potvin said.

Additionally, as Potvin also said, summer classes are known for being very fast-paced, condensing 10 weeks worth of content into much shorter time frames.

Therefore, it’s understandable that some people could feel discouraged taking online classes, as the fast pace combined with the minimal support from professors and peers can make the experience even more challenging.

Nonetheless, even with these drawbacks, Potvin said an online format for summer classes is preferable as it allows students to enjoy their break while avoiding academic burnout.

“When you’re working three quarters doing a lot of work, it comes to be summertime and you kind of want a break and spending a whole extra quarter or six weeks going in person to classes, it kind of wears you out,” Potvin said.

It’s time for UCLA to recognize the benefits of online summer classes and prioritize students’ well-being. Every Bruin deserves to make the most of their break without leaving loved ones behind.

That way, maybe next summer, you won’t need to say goodbye to Sam after all.