Student Class Example

student.php

<?php

class Student
{
    public $firstName;
    public $lastName;
    public $cohort;

    public $classStart;

    public function __construct($firstName, $lastName, $cohort)
    {
        $this->firstName = $firstName;
        $this->lastName  = $lastName;
        
        $this->assignCohort($cohort);
    }

    public function sayHello()
    {
        return "Hello {$this->firstName} {$this->lastName}";
    }
    
    public function assignCohort($classNum)
    {
        switch($classNum) {
            case 1:
                $this->cohort     = 'Arches';
                $this->classStart = new DateTime('2014-02-04');
                break;
            case 2:
                $this->cohort     = 'Badlands';
                $this->classStart = new DateTime('2014-05-06');
                break;
            case 3:
                $this->cohort     = 'Carlsbad';
                $this->classStart = new DateTime('2014-08-12');
                break;
            case 4:
                $this->cohort     = 'Denali';
                $this->classStart = new DateTime('2014-09-30');
                break;
            case 5:
                $this->cohort = 'Everglades';
                break;
            default:
                echo "I don't know anything about that cohort\n";
                return false;
        }
    }
}

$adam   = new Student("Adam", "Vega", 3);
$travis = new Student("Travis", "Meyer", 1);
$greg   = new Student("Greg", "Vallejo", 2);
$mary   = new Student("Mary", "Reyes", 3);

echo $adam->firstName;
echo $travis->sayHello() . PHP_EOL;
echo $greg->sayHello() . PHP_EOL;
echo $mary->sayHello() . PHP_EOL;