This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at DePauw chapter.
DePauw University is unique in the fact that they offer Winter Term to students in the month of January. During this time, students are allowed to take one class on campus, travel abroad or participate in a month long internship around the world. Not many schools offer a winter term that allows students to focus on something specifically of their choosing and travel for a month, so DePauw is lucky to have this opportunity. Students often express how valuable their winter term experiences have been to them and to their education. Nina Moore, a junior Biology major, says the following about her service trip in Ecuador of last year, “I love to travel and Winter Term gave me the opportunity to learn about other cultures. The service trip allowed me to give back to underprivileged communities.” Students also express appreciation for on campus classes, “You can take unique classes that you wouldn’t be able to take throughout the regular semester” stated Peyton Powers, a junior Anthropology and Spanish double major, “I took the happiness class with Doug Smith my freshman year. We learned that there are skills to happiness and that happiness is a choice, you have to actively choose to be happy every moment of the day. I still use the skills from this class in my life today.” Winter Term is a time for students to dive deeper into a field or subject of interest, and that is why DePauw students value this experience and time so much. Students are continuing to take advantage of these opportunities by going on some amazing off campus trips.
This year, some of the winter term off-campus trips include, South Africa After Mandela, Studying Science and Technology in Thailand and Vietnam, and Healthcare and Medical Education in Cuba. These trips give students the opportunity to explore a variety of cultures through the lens of different fields such as technology and healthcare. For example, the trip Healthcare and Medical Education in Cuba allows students to “experience health care delivery and related services in Cuba.” Students who go on this trip visit underserved communities and meet U.S medical students from the Latin American Medical School and Salvador Allende Teaching Hospital. Students spend a month learning how, “health interfaces with the environment, culture and education.” Winter term is a great time to learn about different cultures, grow professionally or take a class that interests you. Whatever you end up doing this winter term, make sure you find something you love and want to explore more in depth because this is what this time was created for. If you are still interested in an off campus study, there are only a few more spots left for specific trips but more information can be found here at Horizons.
Happy Winter Term!