Most young Americans see the summer months as a time for fun, others, like the ISU students who began attending summer classes this week, see them as an opportunity to continue their studies.

Summer semesters are shorter. To some, attending a summer class for a few short weeks seems to be the best thing since sliced bread. Students can work on graduation requirements, graduating early, or simply personal enjoyment.

Students can immerse themselves in a subject without the danger of confusing the previous day’s teaching with what they learned in classes on off days. But with this immersion comes the risk of falling behind.

Many college students like to go out and party with friends and stay up until the wee hours of the morning. With extended daylight hours and gorgeous weather, the urge to embark on fun-filled adventures can frequently be too tempting to resist.

Daily readings for summer courses can easily be cast aside. What’s the harm in skipping one day’s worth of reading for a class that meets every day?

What you may or may not realize is that, in a class that meets for only a few weeks, one day of not reading is equivalent to skipping a week of normal class readings. That’s right — a week.

Many students in fall or spring semesters can often get away with skipping classes for a week or more because they know they can cram before an exam.

Skipping readings or class entirely for a day will lead to so much falling behind that stress will begin to fill your summer months.

We suggest caution to any student partaking in summer study options at Iowa State. Having been there and done that, we know that being forced to cram for a summer course is not the way to go.

Enjoy your summer, be studious and don’t let yourself fall into bad habits.