For many students, winter break offers a rare opportunity to relax and shake off the stress from the fall semester so that you can start the spring semester off strongly. I certainly embraced this mentality; much of my break was spent with family, friends, and Game of Thrones. However, I did experience a certain twinge of discomfort over the break, as I’m sure many other students did too. This discomfort stemmed from my awareness that I was not learning or working or really doing anything of much professional importance. That’s the thing about Davidson students; as much as we complain about the work load here, we’ve learned to thrive on it. So, going home for 5 weeks of nothingness can be distressing. It was this disturbance that enticed my interest in Winter Terms that other schools have.
Schools that follow a 4-1-4 calendar have a Winter Term (often abbreviated to J-Term because they occur in January) that usually lasts a little under a month. Students typically take just one credit course on campus or use the time period to study abroad or participate in internships. Many schools operate on this system, including Middlebury and Colby College, which are two of Davidson’s peer institutions.
I personally wish that Davidson had a Winter Term for a number of reasons. First, I think it would add much needed flexibility to our schedules. Only taking four classes a semester can seem simple, but choosing those four classes are very high-stakes. Adding a winter term would allow students to have an opportunity to take additional classes in an area of interest outside of their major or fulfill a requirement. Because you only take one class at a time for Winter Term, you’re able to really focus on the subject, which can be beneficial whether the class is for your major or not. As a liberal arts institution, there is a focus at Davidson on exposing yourself to different subjects and classes, so having an opportunity each year to take an additional class would facilitate this goal of diversity.
Winter Terms would also be beneficial for students wishing to go abroad. It would either give students studying abroad in the spring and fall a time to take classes they will be missing, or it presents an extra time to study abroad. I’m currently on the fence about whether or not I want to study abroad, mostly because the idea of being away for an entire semester doesn’t appeal to me. However, I would immediately jump at the opportunity to study abroad during a Winter Term. The length of time is perfect for students who either don’t want to be away for a semester or can’t be away because of major requirements.
A third way that students can spend their Winter Terms would be in an internship. These short stints could give a brief exposition into a field that can help someone decide if it’s something they’d want to do for an entire summer. Additionally, a Winter Term internship would allow a student to fill positions at a company at a less competitive time. Then, when summer comes along and every college student under the sun is looking for internships, those who worked over Winter Term would have the advantages of more experience and an established relationship with a company.
I think that a Winter Term could potentially be very beneficial to students. It would be a great way to make winter break more productive and allow students to pursue specialized interests in the classroom, workplace, or abroad.
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