Ever since I was in high school, I have taken at least one online summer class to either accommodate my schedule for the school year or to take a class that is only offered in the summer. I started documenting a list of tips for staying organized in summer classes when I took four classes in one summer, because several of my friends were surprised that I wasn’t stressed or overwhelmed for the most part despite the fact that I was taking the maximum credit load, and that I also ended up accelerating some of my classes and finishing them early to accommodate a major event at the end of the summer. Here are my tips for staying organized in summer classes, from a student that has taken over a dozen classes on an accelerated summer schedule.
Stagger course start dates, if possible
During the summer semester, many colleges and universities offer multiple summer course sessions with staggered start times and end times, making it easier for students to take multiple classes or participate in other activities. For students taking three or more classes, I strongly recommend staggering course start dates if possible as this makes it easier to gradually focus on more classes and so final projects aren’t all due at the same time. Here is an example of what my summer course start dates looked like during one summer semester:
- First class starts a week after the spring semester ends (May), finishes in mid-July.
- Second class starts two weeks after the first class in early June, finishes at the end of July (after the first class)
- Third class starts in mid-June, finishes the first week in August (after the second class)
- Fourth class starts the last week in June, finishes the third week in August.
With this schedule, I was only in all four classes for a little less than two weeks. While those two weeks were a bit chaotic, I didn’t have four major assignments all due at the same time. When registering for classes, I was able to see the listed sessions and the start dates/end dates for each class.
During another semester, I took two classes back-to-back. When one class finished, another class started a couple of days later. Graduate classes are typically at least eight weeks long (if not longer) at my university, but the back-to-back option with taking one class at a time may be an option for students taking general core classes in undergrad or at a community college.
Related links
- How To Schedule College Classes
- College Scheduling Hacks For Students With Chronic Illness
- How To Get Disability Accommodations In Community College
- How To Choose General Education Courses In College
- My Experience With Virtual Classes in High School
Use the syllabus to create a schedule
Using the syllabus and copies of the class schedule provided by the instructor, create a schedule for when to work on specific classes based on when assignments are due and when new assignments are posted. For example, one of my professors would post new assignments on a Monday and everything would be due on Sunday, while another professor would have all assignments due on Friday and post new work on Sunday. Some professors will provide a list of all assignments for the class and note when they are due, while others will post a list of assignments at the beginning of the week.
For classes that don’t have live or synchronous meetings, I don’t maintain a strict schedule for when I work on assignments in terms of how many hours I spend on something or when I take breaks. I aim to work a certain number of hours every day, mostly during the morning or afternoon when I have lower amounts of visual fatigue, but I never turn down a chance to hang out with friends or do a fun activity during my typical “work” time— I just make sure that I get everything done by the time it is due. Sometimes this means working longer one day or waking up early to study, or doing additional work on the weekend.
Related links
- Tips To Stay Organized In Virtual Classes
- Ten Questions To Ask When Choosing A Virtual Class
- Activity Ideas For Vision Breaks
- Disability Accommodations For Fluctuating Eyesight
Set reminders for discussion board posts
Early on in the summer semester, I lost half of a point on a discussion board post because I had forgotten to post replies to other students by the due date— I had written the replies the day after they were due. After that, I started setting reminders for discussion board posts, including when to post the original reply and when to reply to other students for each of my classes. Some weeks I would have to reply to one student, while other weeks required me to reply to the whole class or maintain an ongoing dialogue on my own post.
To learn more about how I write discussion board posts, read my post on assistive technology for discussion boards linked below.
Related links
- Low Vision Assistive Technology For Discussion Board Posts
- How I Use Blackboard With Low Vision
- How I Use Canvas With Low Vision
- How I Use Moodle With Low Vision
Re-use research or readings for more than one class
Another strategy that really helped me with staying organized in summer classes was to use readings or research from one class to help with assignments in another class, so that I could create a deeper connection with the reading or topic. Some examples of how I would do this in college summer classes include:
- Writing about an accessible app I used to complete my math homework in another online math class.
- Connecting the research I was conducting for a class project to a discussion board for another class.
- Using previous readings on alternative input devices to help with another class project.
- Reading a book for another class that can help me with a project for something else.
- Using the same dataset for two different class assignments.
- Writing two different papers on the same book/concept, exploring different themes.
It’s worth noting that I do not reuse assignments or submit the same thing to multiple classes— my instructors do not allow that! However, I do often reference assignments and projects from previous classes (or posts from my website) when working on new assignments or when building on different ideas.
Related links
- How I Write Research Papers On Accessibility Topics
- How I Use My eReader For School and Online Classes
- A to Z of Assistive Technology for Reading Digital Text
- How To Create Accessible Summer Reading Lists For Print Disabilities
Start reviewing modules when they are posted
I review all of my modules on the same day that they are posted to make sure that there aren’t any accessibility issues/barriers that I need to address (such as missing videos or assignments that were never posted). This also helps me plan for the next module or week ahead as I can get an idea of how much work is being assigned and how long it will take to get through it. I try to spend at least two hours on the new module on the day it is posted, working on assignments or just doing readings. During abbreviated/accelerated summer classes, every day counts!
Related links
- Taking Online English Classes With Low Vision
- Taking Online History Classes With Low Vision
- What If I Miss Assignments Or Classes In College?
Use distinct file names and keep items in folders
At one point, I got an email from my instructor asking if I meant to upload a file for another class as part of my submission— they weren’t sure if I had included the other file as a supplement to my assignment. This reminded me of how important it is to use distinct file names for each class and to store assignments in their own folders so that they don’t get scrambled— I had accidentally combined assignments for different classes into one folder. Unless the instructor has other requirements, I use the naming convention “Class name + Assignment name + Student ID”— so my 6th homework for EDAT 525 would be “EDAT525_Homework6_VLewis” without the quotation marks.
As soon as I create a new document in Microsoft Word, I save it to the appropriate folder to ensure that my progress is saved automatically as I work on an assignment.
Related links
- How I Organize Digital Files For My Classes
- Implementing Shared Folders For Accessible Materials
- How I Receive Accessible Quizzes and Tests in the Classroom
Check summer hours for college and university services
When I was working on one of my final projects, I would often message back and forth with the librarians at my university library or reach out to other professors or staff members if I had questions. The hours for these services are different during the summer than they are during the rest of the school year, and this is helpful to note when working with services such as the library help desk or for areas related to disability accommodations like the testing center, assistive technology/accessibility offices, and disability services.
Related links
- Online College Library Resources For Digital Access
- What To Know About College Assistive Technology Specialists
- Remote Testing Accommodations For Low Vision
- What To Bring To The Disability Services Testing Center
Make time for lunch!
This isn’t really academic advice, but it is really easy to forget to eat lunch when working on a bunch of summer classes or assignments during the day. I would often have a premade or packed lunch sitting in the fridge so that I could easily step away from my computer, take a break, and fuel myself for another study session. Getting pre-made meals from a restaurant or grocery store isn’t an option for me due to highly sensitive food allergies, so I usually prepare food at the beginning of the week, assemble lunch at the same time or shortly after making/eating breakfast, or I batch-cook and freeze items that I can either defrost in the fridge or in the microwave.
For classes that meet synchronously, I recommend keeping a few snacks to eat during the break, or eating a small meal before a three-hour lecture class. I am a huge fan of overnight oats for this, since they can be prepared in advance and are highly customizable— just remember to pack a spoon!
Related links
- Organizing A Dorm Mini Fridge With Low Vision
- How To Make Refrigerators Accessible For Visual Impairment
- Baking Banana Bread With Assistive Technology
More tips for staying organized in summer classes
- Have a major paper due? Check out my Writing Success posts!
- In college, a lot of my summer classes have been project-based, though I still have to study for tests or spend time learning material. I share study strategies in The Best Study Tips For Visually Impaired Students and The Best Study Tips For Auditory Learners
- Need more tips for staying organized in online classes? Read Tips For Taking Online Classes As An On-Campus Student and Tips To Stay Organized In Virtual Classes
Published May 1, 2025. Updated May 2025