With the towering high-rises of Manhattan nearby, Brock student Tracey Lewis was far from the University’s St. Catharines campus, but she continued to move forward in her studies.

Lewis is among the more than 5,000 students each year who take advantage of the University’s wide range of Spring/Summer course offerings. While visiting family in Yonkers, N.Y., two summers ago, the Labour Studies student took a Recreation and Leisure Studies course online, which she said paid dividends during the rest of the year.

Labour Studies student Tracey Lewis completed an online Recreation and Leisure Studies course while visiting family in Yonkers, N.Y. Lewis will be completing two more Spring/Summer courses this year.

“I was able to take one less course the following semester, which allowed me to focus on other schoolwork. It also gave me a bit more time for some of the leisure activities I had learned about in the summer,” she said.

Available to undergraduate students, the University offers nearly 300 accelerated, online, international and in-class courses for those wishing to fulfil degree requirements, explore additional electives, lighten their overall course load or pursue learning experiences they might otherwise miss out on.

Anna Lathrop, Brock’s Vice-Provost, Teaching, Learning and Student Success, said Spring/Summer courses allow students to enhance their education in a variety of settings.

“Brock’s Spring/Summer course offerings are designed to accommodate students’ needs,” she said. “Whether through condensed timelines for our on-campus students, increased flexibility for those working online, or unique experiences for those taking part in international opportunities, the Spring/Summer terms allow students to make important additions to their Brock experience.”

Free parking is also available at Brock’s main campus during the Spring/Summer terms in Zones 1 and 2.

Having experienced the convenience of completing an online course from afar, Lewis can now take advantage of some of the other benefits Spring/Summer courses offer as she completes two on-campus Spring classes this year.

“It’s not as overwhelming as when you have a full course load,” she said. “The professors are just as helpful as during the year, and it’s cool to hear everyone’s perspectives because Spring/Summer courses often have students from a wider range of programs.”

In addition to the Psychology and Indigenous Studies courses that Lewis is taking, other available courses range from Acting for Non-majors, Advanced Analysis of the Hockey Industry, Chemistry in Everyday Life and Advanced Archaeological Fieldwork in Italy.

With courses from many Faculties to choose from, Lewis hopes that other students will consider Spring/Summer options.

“It’s a great time to focus on one or two courses to help boost your average,” she said. “I loved really digging into a subject and seeing how it applied to my life while also spending time reflecting on how much I enjoyed the learning experience.”

A full list of University’s Spring/Summer courses can be found on the Brock website.