Summer Term helps Badger athlete find balance

Over the summer, we’re excited to share stories of students who are making the most of their Summer Term, both in person and online. We hope these stories serve as a source of inspiration and give you a glance into what life is like for Summer Term students.

Sarah Marie Candee (she/her/hers) is a junior from Wisconsin studying theatre and drama and communication arts (TV-radio-film) with a digital studies certificate.

What courses do you plan on taking this summer, and do you plan on taking them in person, online or hybrid? 

I’ll be taking Theatre 140 and Communication Arts 449 online and Theatre & Drama 360 in person.

What prompted you to take Summer Term courses and how will it help you meet your academic goals?

I choose to take Summer Term courses every year. First, it lets me arrange my fall and spring schedules in a way that accommodates all the organizations I am in during the regular school year. A well-balanced class schedule throughout allows me to delve into everything else that UW–Madison offers aside from academics! It also helps me get general education requirements finished so I can focus on my particular studies during the fall and spring.

Second, Summer Term offers some of UW’s most popular courses on campus and therefore I am able to take classes that can be tough to get into or may require an application during the fall or spring semester. The summer is also a time for me to take a class I am interested in that might not pertain to my studies!

Finally, I have received wonderful aid from the University to fund my summer classes. Why not keep learning if I can afford to do so? And of course, it is very exciting to remain in Madison through the summers!

Besides taking Summer Term courses, what else are you doing this summer?

For some time in May I’ll be working in Lisbon, Portugal, and have one Summer Term course starting while I am there. When I return, I will continue work at the Wisconsin State Capitol — where I have worked for the Senate for three years — and do my classes. In the evenings and weekends, I will be stage managing University Theatre’s upcoming production of Rashomon, which has performances in July and September. I will also continue my training with the Wisconsin Equestrian Team’s coaches each week.

Tell us about your athletic pursuits at UW–Madison and how you balance that with academics in the summer? 

I am on the Wisconsin Equestrian Team and will serve as president this upcoming school year. Since we only train during the fall and spring, taking classes in Madison allows me to continue training at our barn with our coaches and prepare for fall competitions. The flexibility of Summer Term courses gives me the opportunity to work with a more relaxed training schedule, and I can avoid waking up at 5 or 6 a.m. like we usually have to! In addition, serving on the executive board for the team can be exhaustive work and having a summer in Madison to get ready for recruitment and tryouts makes the fall semester far less daunting.

Tell us about your study abroad experience and how that fits in with your academic pursuits and Summer Term?

I studied abroad in Spain independently of UW’s programs, however I took a Summer Term course while I was there. Taking an online course gave me the freedom to do classwork from anywhere — a hostel, a homestay or a long train ride! It never got in the way of my adventuring and, in fact, my travels became embedded in the work I submitted; I was learning so much culturally and complementing it academically. And, fortunately, my professor was very forgiving about accidentally submitting work late when I screwed up the time zones! The summer is a perfect time to travel, so don’t let your classes hinder you.

See the Summer Term website for more information on getting ahead and achieving your academic goals with summer courses.

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