After hubbub of the spring semester has ended, campus at Iowa State University is practically empty. Students have moved out of the residence halls, CyRide has cut back on the frequency of routes and the dining centers are bare.

However, some students stayed to take summer classes and compared summer schoolwork with that of the school year while their friends are either working, having fun or taking classes as well.

“Campus is really nice because it’s quiet and there are still people around, but it’s not overloaded. You can sit and study,” said Megan Paulsen, an elementary education major who will be a junior this fall.

Paulsen is taking three classes during the summer. She is not working this summer, but during the school year she works at the different cafes on campus. Some of her friends are working during the summer and some, like her, are taking classes.

She said she enjoys taking summer classes because they are condensed and get done faster. Having an apartment in Ames also made it possible for her to stay and take classes.

“It definitely keeps you busier in the summer if you’re taking classes,” Paulsen said. “It depends on which classes you take in the summer as to whether or not summer classes are more stressful.”

Christian Springer, a senior in biology, psychology and international studies, is also taking three classes this summer. After going over his curriculum with his adviser, he decided to take summer classes in order to be able to graduate next year, while learning German on his own.

Springer said he wasn’t sure whether he thinks taking summer classes is more stressful than taking classes during the school year because he thought it’s about the same. He said there are more activities he has to attend during the school year, but he works on more homework during the summer.

Ames during the summer was something Springer said he enjoys more so than during the fall or spring.

“It’s not cold in the summer. I really like the summertime because of the weather. It’s a lot more pleasant,” Springer said.

One of Iowa State’s recent graduates, Megan Baughman, is taking organic chemistry this summer as a prerequisite for medical school. She works at Mary Greeley Medical Center in Ames as a patient care technician.

“For the school year, it’s easier to go to class when everyone else is,” Baughman said. “In the summer, everyone’s having fun, but it allows me to focus on one class.”

Baughman said the summer is less stressful than the school year because she doesn’t have as heavy of a load.

Although busy, these students have planned to do something fun over the summer.

Paulsen said she will be going home to Minnesota for a little bit, Springer hopes to make it to northern Wisconsin to do some fishing and Baughman will be going to Orlando with her family to take her nephews who are ages 2 and 4.