Registration for the WSU Summer Advantage program is now open until early June. 

Summer Advantage runs from June 28 to July 30 and helps first-year students transition into college, Joanne Greene, University Recreation programming director said. Move-in day for traditional students is on June 25 and June 16 for student-athletes.

Typically, there are 75 students in the Summer Advantage program, which runs for five weeks, Greene said. 

Both traditional and student-athletes will live in the same residence hall, Jonathan Stahl, UREC assistant director for adventure programs and experiential learning, said. Students will be housed in single rooms instead of having roommates. 

Stahl said the program will be in person and will follow all COVID-19 public health guidelines.

“Summer Advantage is important because it allows students to come early, ease into their transition into university life, which can help set them up for success at the university,” Stahl said. 

Most classes meet Monday through Friday and attendance is required. Missing a day of class could be equivalent to a week’s worth of work. Certain courses may not fulfill graduation requirements for Running Start and Honors College students enrolled in the program, according to the Summer Advantage website.

Stahl said students can earn up to eight credits during the program. The university is offering 100-level English courses, Economic Sciences 101, Music 262 and more. 

Student-athletes are required to take a couple of classes such as English 101, 102 and Music 262, according to the website. 

Students have the option to take courses in the morning and/or the afternoon, Greene said. 

Attending the Summer Advantage program puts first-year students ahead of the curve after graduating high school. Students have the opportunity to engage in college-level courses before the start of the fall semester, Greene said. 

Traditional students and athletes have the opportunity to participate in workshops, residence hall meetings and dinner gatherings. Athletes will attend practice for their sport(s) in the afternoons, he said. 

“We’re gonna work with various folks on campus,” Greene said, “to create a broad array of programming to meet different interests to get students exposed to as much as campus as we can.”

The social programs are designed for students to establish connections before the fall semester starts, Greene said. Students can participate in bike rides across the Bill Chipman Palouse Trail, campus tours and outdoor trips with UREC. 

Students also have the opportunity to become familiar with recreation spaces like the Student Recreation Center. Students can work out and interact with peers in the designated areas with adherence to public health guidelines, she said. 

“Transition to university is a really big change for most of us where we go from living on our own, probably for a lot of us for the first time,” Greene said.