Students are sticking around for the Summer

    In the past, the small college town of Milledgeville seemed to die down between the months of May through August.  Once classes let out for spring semester, most college students would pack their bags and head back to their hometown to spend the summer to take a break from school, make a little extra money, or go on family vacations.
     However, now due to the increased popularity in summer courses, apartment leases, and jobs many students are deciding to stick around through the summer.
    Georgia College & State University now offers three different summer sessions of classes, Maymester, Summer 1, and Summer 2, which allow students to catch up on hours or even get ahead. 
     The popularity of these summer sessions is increasing due to the more laid-back atmosphere, and the decrease in workload from the school year.  According to the registrar’s office, approximately 1,500 students are staying to complete summer courses.
             Sophomore Laura Suppa, who is originally from Augusta, stated, “I chose to take my harder courses during Maymester because I am able to concentrate on that class instead of trying to balance 15 hours of other classes at the same time.”
    Many students choose to stay in Milledgeville for the summer in order to hold their jobs.  Some businesses are not willing to take back students in the fall after they have been absent from work for three months. Because of this, many students have to stick around to stay on the schedule.
    “I’m not taking summer courses, but I do still plan on staying in Milledgeville for the summer to work,”says Ashley Lora, who is a Chili’s employee and GC&SU student.  “I don’t want to loose my job by leaving, and I make more money at my job here then I would in my hometown.  I also have an apartment that I’m still paying for, so there’s no point in leaving.”
    Many apartment complexes, such as The Grove, Bobcat Village, and Magnolia Park, have students sign 6 month to one year leases for their apartments, meaning that they are still responsible for paying rent whether they plan on sticking around for the summer or not.  
    Emily Davidson, a Community Assistant at The Grove apartments says, “Whether they like it or not, a lot of students decide to stay just so their money doesn’t go to waste.”
    It looks like the locals should get prepared for the college students sticking around for 3 extra months this year.  Milledgeville will not be a ghost town this summer.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Apr 27 2007. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry