As the end of the semester approaches, Long Beach City College students are cramming for finals while local community college students are relaxing and enjoying the summer.
With LBCC’s spring semester ending later than its counterparts, students may feel less motivated to finish strong when all of their friends are out having fun enjoying their summer break.
Cerritos College ends their spring semester in May whereas LBCC ends the spring semester in June.
The college decided to start the spring semester in Feb. and let students out in June, while many other local community colleges are starting the semester in Jan. in order to let their students out in May.
LBCC may be reluctant to begin the semester earlier because of the way it may impact winter courses.
The issue may also be that with the first semester starting in Jan., students and faculty would have a shorter break between the spring and fall semester.
If this is the issue, perhaps the college could issue a survey in which students and faculty are free to voice their opinions.
If LBCC’s students and faculty are in support of the idea, LBCC could then consider making the switch.
Ending the semester in May rather than June won’t affect summer classes and the college would still have more than enough time to begin and end a summer session between June and August.
If LBCC was on the same schedule as other local community colleges, students might feel more compelled to finish the semester strong.
Students and administration at LBCC should consider the idea of starting the semester earlier in order to end sooner to give students the chance to get a head start on summer and enjoy the break with friends and family.