If you’re trying to cram a month’s worth of course material into one night of studying before an exam, you’re just the typical University student. And if you’re cramming a semester’s worth of course material into just a few weeks, you’re probably enrolled in a University favorite: half-term or eight-week classes.

If you intended to take one of these classes, you’re likely already enrolled; second-half courses began on Monday.

Eight-week courses range from the 100-level, such as LER 100, Introduction to Labor Studies, to advanced-level courses such as ACE 398, Food Marketing and Behavior. This diversity is not confined to course options, but extends to the rigor of courses as well.

Initially, taking an eight-week course may seem like the most brilliant idea ever to the cohort of procrastinating University students: nobody telling you what to do with your time, minimal face-to-face interaction, not much monitoring of students’ progress and all the time in the world — or so you think.

But, of course, there are two sides to every story. Students may also enroll in eight-week courses because they need more flexibility in their packed schedules, or perhaps they are taking on a part-time job or research internship. 

Essentially, it’s the student’s intent in taking an eight-week course that determines whether these courses fulfill their purpose: to allow and compensate for additional time needs in students’ schedules.

The Editorial Board has come to the consensus (or lack thereof) that eight-week courses are neither beneficial nor useless in and of themselves, but rather it is students’ intent in taking the course that determines whether it becomes beneficial or useless. 

That being said, we’d like to offer a few insights into the deep, dark world of eight-week courses and how to succeed in them.

Recognize that eight-week courses are not all online classes, and not all online classes are eight-week courses. Think about it this way: If your schedule is packed all day, take an eight-week course online to avoid taking time to physically be in the classroom. And if you’re horrible at managing your own time, then take a standard eight-week course that has a predetermined time to be in the classroom.

Manage your time appropriately. Regardless of whether the course is entirely online or face-to-face, the course is compacted, meaning that it covers the same amount of material in a semester-long course in a shorter time period. Because most eight-week courses meet only one or two times per week, it’s important to evenly distribute your workload throughout the week. Otherwise, you’ll be faced with learning the course material and taking an exam on it all within just a few days of one another. 

Identify your eight-week course’s structure, since this often differs from a semester-long course. Many eight-week courses are centered on meeting deadlines. Because the classes often meet less frequently, instructors often use multiple interfaces: Compass 2g for lectures, Moodle for assignments, software that comes with the course textbook, etc. Therefore, you should keep tabs on where each of your assignments are due, and if there is more than one platform for the course. Take a look at the grading structure too; sometimes overall point values are less but compensated for by placing a large weight on major assignments.

Eight-week courses can be the key to getting ahead and expanding your schedule, but they can also be one of the easiest ways to slack off and get lost in the fast-paced nature of these courses. Whether these classes are effective is entirely determined by the individual. Do you need the extra time in your schedule? Do you learn better face-to-face? Can you manage and organize your time? They really are what you make of them.