BELFAST — Summertime and the living is easy…It’s finally summertime in Maine. The traffic is increasing. More boats are anchored in the harbors. Lawn mowers are firing up. Flowers are blooming. Graduations are happening everywhere and summer school is under way.

Summer is a good time to get ahead and pick up a class or two to continue making progress towards that college degree. It’s a good time to get general education requirements out of the way to open up room in the fall and spring schedules for classes in your major. The competition for seats in the required classes can play havoc with a class schedule during the regular term so getting a class or two completed in the summer helps that problem and puts you ahead of the pack.

At the University of Maine Hutchinson Center we have two lab science classes being offered this summer, oceanography and basic biology. Both have accompanying labs in our high technology equipped labs. The oceanography class is all live while the biology class is a hybrid class. The lecture is online while the lab meets on Thursday evenings so it is perfect for someone who has to work during the day and needs some flexibility in their class schedule. Both classes start June 3 so it’s time to register now! Other colleges in the area such as University College at Rockland or the community colleges also offer summer classes that may meet your needs.

In addition to the science classes that meet general education requirements, it’s a good time to get college composition out of the way. That’s ENG 101, a basic requirement for most college students, and a class that is offered at community colleges and university centers. This is a good class to take in the summer when it doesn’t compete with any other class and it’s possible to devote extra time to composing the writings that are required. Many students are not prepared for the rigors of college writing. This class provides practice and instruction in the basics that are required for all other college courses in any major, because they all will require writing of some kind, be it exams or papers.

Many students go to the Hutchinson Center in the summer who enroll at many other colleges during the academic year. Everyone is welcome! If you need to speak with someone about the summer schedule, learn how to register on MaineStreet, or find out if you are eligible for a summer scholarship, just call the main number, 338-8000, to make an appointment with an advisor.

Picture yourself sitting in your yard or on your deck, enjoying the summer ocean breeze and warm sunshine, reading about the oceans, or biology, or writing a composition, and feeling very smug because you now have another class crossed off of your to-do list!

Sue McCullough is director of the University of Maine Frederick E. Hutchinson Center Center and associate dean, Division of Lifelong Learning.