Great LACs w Jan Term? Wise Criteria, or Too Limiting?

[momrath]

My son stayed on campus for Winter Study at Williams all four years. He would consider it a highlight of his college experience. The classes he took were really interesting and all of the instructors (who were not regular faculty) were well respected experts in their fields.

So although I wouldn’t characterize the courses as academically intense, they were at the same time intellectually rewarding, a wonderful opportunity to kickback and learn something without pressure or expectations. Thought provoking, informative, inter-active – definitely not “thow-aways.”

But Winter Study is more than the one course: it is also a festive time for winter sports and a lot of socializing – a fun, depressurized break between two demanding semesters. It makes for a short holiday break in December and although I would have liked to have had my son at home longer, I acknowledge that after two weeks he was itching to get back to Williams and his friends.

I would add, however, that having a January term doesn’t preclude opportunities for study abroad, internships and research either during Winter Study itself or any other time. At Williams only firstyears are required to stay on campus for Winter Study. Many choose to do so because it’s such a positive experience but others take advantage of the Winter Study courses that include travel experiences – focusing on work/study, cultural immersion or service projects – and many design their own off campus courses.

[dragonmom]

Back when I went there UPS had one. Maybe some students used it for wonderful stuff, but what I saw was 1) lots of students stayed home and worked longer over Christmas break 2) PartyTime!!!! 3) Time to take a totally easy class. Pottery was the hardest to get into.
For some reason (OK, because I had read the transfer info for the school I was thinking about changing to) I took a lit class. 12 books by Mark Twain in 4 weeks.
It's a cool concept but not often used to the best. I would put it way down the list in chosing a school.

[interesteddad]

Yeah, imagine how stupid I felt when I found out that Winter Study was supposed to be party time AFTER I had already signed up for a math course five mornings a week. Dumb freshman, what can I say? I suppose the professor thought it was a fun winter study.

I made up for it later. My favorite was "The Blues" taught by a...ahem...close female friend of B.B.King ("my B" as she called him).

We spent the entire month listening to blues records, which is what I liked to do anyway. The big "assignment" was to play our favorite blues artist for the class.

[somemom]

Whitworth in Spokane has Jan & may term which seems to be quite focused on some travel opportunities

[CBBBlinker]

Colby alum here -- although Jan Plan wasn't a deciding factor in school choice for me, it was a lot of fun. I stayed on campus for 2 years, and did independent, off-campus projects the other 2. Of course there was a lot of partying during the on-campus years, but it was also a chance to try something new. One year I took piano lessons -- something I never did as a kid. I also interned for my hometown US Congressman in DC.

[MidwestMom2Kids_]

If you really like short terms, Hiram College (one of the CTCL) has two. The academic year there is 12 weeks with three classes, 3 weeks with one class, 12 weeks with three classes, 3 weeks with one. Hiram is a college seriously worthy of consideration. It's in Hiram, Ohio, a small town but quite close to Cleveland. Beautiful campus. Smart, happy students.

[cnp55]

The other thing to consider is that some colleges that offer J term or the equivalent in that time period but it's at an additional cost. Also, some J term courses, or intersession are open to students from other colleges.

If you go to Cornell, for example, which has an intersession, you would have the free time to take courses at a different institution. Cornell's version offers some on-campus classes, but also some trips, off campus courses, and distance learning options.

Just more info!

[fireflyscout]

Add Austin College and Centre College to the list of J-term schools.

[nceph]

I found my winter study courses at Williams to be very worthwhile. Like a lot of things, academic and otherwise, what you get out of such an opportunity depends on what you're willing to put into it. I used the time to take some creative writing courses, which I would never have dared to do in a course graded other than pass/fail.

[interesteddad]

The option of taking courses pass/fail is a separate issue, unrelated to winter term. There are colleges with no winter term that offer the option of taking some courses pass/fail for exactly the reason you cite. Swarthmore, for example, makes all four courses first semester freshman year pass/fail as an adjustment period, then offers the option of taking up to four more courses pass/fail later on. Pass/fail is a particularly popular option for students taking a fifth course in a given semester.

[Lafalum84]

Then there's Union College, in Schenectady NY. They are on tri-mesters. Kids take 3 classes at a time for 9 weeks. They go Labor Day - Thanksgiving, then have a break. They're back Jan 2 till the 3rd week in March, have a week off, then return from April 1st till mid-June. Not really a J-plan but similar. They run some overseas programs during their winter term.

[interesteddad]

Dartmouth is on a the same plan as Union, except that they also have a summer term and require all students to spend at least one summer term at college.

Applicants should think about the pros and cons of a "quarter" system such as this, especially viz-a-viz semester abroad programs. This kind of plan could reduce the options considerably, even limiting them to only the limited selection of programs offered by one's own school.

[Karen Colleges]

St. Mary's College of California and Whittier College also have Jan-term.

It seems like a fun way to broaden your horizons outside of your major.

[withinamile]

One thing to consider also with J-terms is if there are actual requirements regarding graduation and J-term projects. I know at Oberlin that we have to spend 3 winter terms doing something (whether it's an internship, project, class, etc in order) in order to graduate. I've also noticed that a lot of my friends at other schools have ridiculously long winter breaks which are basically the equivalent of time period of my winter break + winter term, they just don't have any requirements for it.

So basically, also consider if you want graduation requirements associated with your J-term. This also might make them more meaningful/productive and less throw-away party weeks.

[nceph]

Just to add to my previous post and respond to Interesteddad's point about pass/fail courses being offered during the regular semester. The difference for me, in tackling something like creative writing, which I did not feel very confident in taking for a grade, was that during Winter Study, there was lots of time to devote to it. That is a significant difference compared to taking a 5th course during a semester on a pass/fail basis. I feel fairly certain that had I taken the same course as a 5th pass/fail course on top of an already busy course load, I would not have been able to put in the time I needed or wanted to get the most out of the course. While students who are intent on slacking during a J-term can surely manage to do so, students who welcome the extra available time to devote to an interesting course can take full advantage of that -- and still have plenty of time to play.