June 27, 2002
Students flock to summer quarter
Enrollments on the first day of summer quarter at the UW are already ahead of last year’s numbers, which could make this summer session the most popular in the past 10 years.
As of Monday, the first day of classes, there are 15,027 students enrolled in summer quarter on the Seattle campus, compared to 14,127 last summer, an increase of 6.3 percent. Last summer’s 10th-day count for the Seattle campus was 15,041. (Tenth-day enrollments — generally greater than first day — are considered the official number for the quarter.)
This year, two factors may have joined forces to draw more students to campus. First, this fall’s freshman class of 5,382 was the largest in the history of the UW, thanks to the long-anticipated arrival of the Baby Boom Echo. Also, a stagnant economy has reduced the available internships and summer jobs that many college students flock to during the slack months, so some students may be choosing to stay in school instead.
“When the economy is weak, enrollments are good,” said Kei Quinlan, UW director of Summer Quarter. “I would say we’ll see a slight increase because of that.”
Nationally, unemployment has grown among workers ages 16 to 24, from 10 percent in May 2001, to 11.6 percent last month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The percentage of people ages 16 to 24 who work also fell to 62.5 percent in May, about 5.2 percent lower than in 1987. In addition, Washington had the second highest unemployment rate in the country — 7.1 percent in May.
Another factor that could attract students is the recent tuition increases authorized by the state. The new higher tuition doesn’t become effective until the fall, which makes summer quarter a relative bargain. For example, a full-time undergraduate resident attending the UW at Seattle would pay $1,291 during summer quarter, compared to $1,545 during fall quarter.
But the bulk of students will probably attend summer quarter because it is traditionally a slower time on campus. Many classes — especially field courses that take advantage of the nice weather and of outdoor research facilities owned by the UW — are only offered in summer. And some students use summer quarter to get ahead with their studies, particularly with classes required for certain majors.
“I’m five credits behind in my major. I decided to take 10 credits this summer, so I can graduate on time,” said Sabrina Paulette, a senior majoring in communications, who chose to enroll in summer quarter instead of taking a summer job. “Summer quarter is easier to schedule.”
Teachers also appreciate the summer atmosphere. Jura Avizienis, a doctoral candidate and teaching assistant in Comparative Literature, will be offering a new class this summer titled “Amnesia in Film,” which she designed to attract summer quarter students. She said summer students tend to be more motivated — she doesn’t expect an apathetic crowd when she shows them films like Memento and Vertigo to study the concept of memory loss as a plot device.
“The people who signed up for this class really want to be here, because they are willing to give up their summer for this,” Avizienis said.
