The transition into semesters has been smooth, except for the ever-lingering problem of what to do with summer semesters.

It’s true – the summer schedule cannot be helped. Scores of faculty committees racked their brains through three years of Semester Conversion planning, but there was no better idea than two rigorous seven-week “mini-mesters.”

The thought of spending almost eight hours a week in one class would be nearly unbearable if not for the idea of piano lessons and yoga classes. Too bad those classes won’t help you graduate.

It’s a good thing the registrar is offering “Intro to Sociology” and “Biology 101.” But, the majority of students in the summer are middlers, juniors and seniors – not freshmen.

The College of Criminal Justice deserves its own case study on this topic. When asked why they were only offering three classes per summer “mini-mester,” the Associate Dean of the College of Criminal Justice Lester McCullough said they were actually offering six classes for the summer, thus making it OK in their book. He said students can take classes both summer semesters, but admitted it was much more typical for a student to enroll in just one half of the summer semester. He went on to say they weren’t offering any major requirements because there wasn’t enough time to cover them in a seven-week semester.

And students agree there is not enough time, but that does not mean they can steer clear of enrolling after six months on co-op or before preparing to take six months off.

The problem is, there are not enough professors who want to teach all year long. But if students have to endure a year-long schedule, the school better come up with a way to make it worth their while.

High quality professors need to be allocated to the summer as well as the fall and spring. Students on the co-op program have to be in classes during the summer. This is not a choice. And they should not be penalized for doing exactly what this school is asking them to do.

The summer semester should be treated with the same validity as the 14-week semesters. The Registrar’s Office knows there are certain classes upcoming middlers, juniors and seniors need to take. An audit needs to be performed and these specific classes need to be offered to students going into and coming off of co-op. No guess work involved.

So students, make sure not to take any electives during the fall or the spring, save up.

Northeastern already has the five-year plan — unless the summer schedule is more diversified and more required classes are offered, students will skate out of here having spent 16 credits on classes like “Beginning Swimming,” “Marine Birds and Mammals,” “Women in Jewish Culture” and “Antennas” (all actual classes).