Summer Session Underway at University of Wyoming

Be it for ambition, necessity, or convenience, many people take summer classes at the University of Wyoming. With over 400 classes and approximately 3,000 students in Laramie over the next several weeks, the 2012 Summer Session is underway and will run through the first week of August.

Rather than your traditional class format, summer courses at the University of Wyoming are intensive, but short, typically running three hours per day for about three weeks. Due to this fast-paced course structure, classes require a more intimate learning environment between professors and students, an aspect which is embraced by many who take summer courses. Since students often take summer courses knowing they will receive extensive one-on-one learning opportunities with their professors, many professors look forward to the Summer Session as a chance to work with students who are fully engaged and looking forward to learning.

Miguel Rosales, Summer Session Coordinator says another aspect that many appreciate is the openness and availability of campus. The 3,000 students who will be taking summer courses at UW will not all be on campus at the same time because the condensed courses are not all offered at the same time, meaning the campus will seem empty compared to the crowded sidewalks of Fall and Spring semesters.

Another great thing about Summer Session is Wyoming's low tuition rates which do not fluctuate between any season that courses are offered on campus. In-state students pay $104 per credit hour while non-residents pay $395 per credit hour.

Of course, there is more to do on campus for summertime students than just study and go to class. Rosales says the Wyoming Student Union does programming throughout the summer including weekly concerts and a chartered bus to a Colorado Rockies game. There are also summertime programs and performances from the Department of Theatre and Dance.

There are certainly many great opportunities offered during the Summer Session, and they are always looking for ways to make it an even greater experience for students and community-members alike. Rosales says he is working on setting up a summer music festival on campus that would hopefully come to fruition next summer.

"A music festival would be a great opportunity to reward students and bring the community onto campus. The campus is absolutely beautiful during the summertime, we're always looking for ways to better connect the community with the campus."