Maymester became a permanent part of Summer School following the success of the third year of the three-year pilot program and differs from the first and second sessions in that it lasts for three weeks as opposed to five weeks.
Summer School dean Jan Yopp said she and others at the Summer School want summer to be academically rigorous. She said that because classes are generally smaller, students get to work in smaller groups — a phenomenon she calls the small college atmosphere.
“We know that students are going to Summer School to work on gen ed requirements or requirements for majors or minors, and because we know that, we try to do classes that fit that,” Yopp said. “We also have classes where students can get out in the field. We want courses students can take for educational enrichment.”
Since its inception, Maymester enrolled has grown exponentially. According to a fact sheet from the Summer School, 263 students enrolled in Maymester classes in 2007, which is less than half the number of enrollees from 2015.
This summer, there will be 59 courses offered in the Maymester format — the most ever.
Professors are also recognizing the benefits of holding class over the summer.
Paul Cuadros, a UNC professor teaching Summer School for the first time, said his required reporting class normally fills up quickly. The summer courses allow more students to take the class and handle the demanding work it requires since all their efforts will be focused on that one class during the summer, he said.
“Normally, the class has a story due every week. But for the summer session, we’re going to require the students to do two stories a week, so they’re really going to have to hustle, but it should be a lot of fun,” he said.
