| We are still in the process of identifying and visiting schools - we've been to 9 or 10 so far, and three that we've visited are still on her list. Tops on her list right now is Elon, which has a J-term that, we were told, is taken advantage of by upwards of 80% of the students, either for coursework on campus or for a study abroad program. It helps that they don't charge extra tuition for the J-term. D likes the idea of being able to do a study abroad without being away for an entire semester. My wife and I like that it's covered in the annual tuition (not sure whether it's covered by the Fall or Spring tuition or whether you have to be enrolled for both). We all like the many opportunities it offers.
We are very familiar with the idea of a J-term as our in-state school, University of Delaware, which we live only ten minutes from has one. We know many students -- neighbor kids, kids from scouts, swim team, kids' friends -- who have made use of it. One young man we know (one of my Eagle Scouts who house and dog sits for us when we are away) uses it for any particularly tough course that he needs to be able to focus on exclusively.
It seems like such a more productive way to use the time. By the second week of January, my son is bored, especially since all his friends who go to UD are back at school for J-term. |