<p>I've heard winter break is long a UD, but haven't found how long. So how long is winter break?</p>
<p>This year Winter Session was apparently 5 weeks of classes: January 3 - February 5. (Plus of course whenever one’s last final ended so I’m guessing around 2 more weeks in addition)</p>
<p>[Winter</a> Session at the University of Delaware](<a href=“Special Sessions | University of Delaware”>Special Sessions | University of Delaware)</p>
<p>Looking at the course list, I’m a bit disappointed. At some other schools we’ve looked at they have some off beat, interesting classes where you can explore some subject or skill you might otherwise not get to learn about. These seem to be regular classes primarily aimed at satisfying a required general class or a class in one’s major.</p>
<p>And at $5310 for 4 credits, there goes that tidy little $4k merit scholarship!</p>
<p>The break was actually longer than winter session. Residence halls closed on December 17 and re-opened on Feb. 6 (Super Bowl Sunday).</p>
<p>Thank you both!!</p>
<p>Winter Session is when most students do Study Abroad (added cost for tuition and also charges for the Study Abroad Program depending on the location -figure on at least $10,000). Some students take courses at UD as well during this session. Most students do not. If you take courses at UD you also have to pay tuition costs/room and board. It is totally separate from the Fall and Spring semesters.</p>
<p>Does UD also offer study abroad during spring and fall sessions?</p>
<p>You can study abroad any semester or term. Winter session is an easy way to fit it in to a sequence of courses without disruption. Summer session as well. 2/5/11 is when the dorms re-opened and classes started on 2/6/11, so that was the very end. Finals included.</p>
<p>Tuition (and meals, if on-campus) is always extra for Winter Session, as is rent for dorms in most cases. HOWEVER, I believe that there are SOME dorms which are paid for by the entire year (possibly the Towers?), so they cost you no extra to stay there over Winter Session.</p>
<p>Same applies for anyone off-campus. The apartment’s already paid for, and you can go with your own meal plan, so it’s not always as expensive for them to stay & take courses over Winter Session.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that not all dorms (and DEFINITELY not all dining halls) are open Winter Session - - I believe just 2 dining halls total, which makes getting to meals in bad or cold weather that much tougher. If you happen to live in a dorm that stays open during Winter Break, you can stay in your room. Otherwise, I’m not sure exactly how it’s set up… I may be wrong on that part. Check with Housing for the complete facts.</p>
<p>In any event, as already mentioned, Winter Session is often used by students to get in Study Abroad over a manageable 5 weeks. One other use is for students who want or need to either get in a few extra credits to meet graduation requirements, or to lighten their load during one of the regular semesters, when they might otherwise be overburdened.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that UofD charges the same for between 12 & 17 credits each semester, and then it’s something like an additional $1k per credit out of state above that. So taking a course in winter session just MIGHT become economically feasible as a result to keep one from going over the 17 credits per semester.</p>
<p>In addition, sometimes there’s that one course that just drags you down in a regular semester, either because of the amount of time that (or another) class/labs/homework requires. Not looking at things from a financial perspective, but rather a GPA, etc angle, sometimes removing that class from the regular semester will allow your S or D to focus more on the others & improve their grades on those, and then taking that course over Winter Session (either by itself, or an “easy” elective) will allow them to focus more on just that course in a quieter, less-stressful, smaller-class (?) setting with less other classes to take away from one’s focus…</p>
<p>A flipside to that, however, is that the pace of the course itself. Since a course normally set for 15+ weeks is cut down to 1/3 the time, if you get lost, it’s harder to keep up. Instead of having it maybe 1 hr 3 times a week, you’ll have it 5 days a week for several hours a day. Good for focusing on just one thing & not forgetting it from one class to the next, but also more demanding.</p>
<p>So those are some of the things to consider! It is something worth trying at least once… the campus & Main St (and dining halls, gyms, etc) are less crowded, and it’s a beautiful campus in the Winter…</p>
<p>There actually is a relatively economical way to take UD courses during the Winter Session that I suspect most students/parents are not aware of. These are regular UD classes that are identified as “Site Particpant” courses offered thru UD’s Continuing Education Department. These are on-line courses taken at home with students taking any exams at local college computer labs. The total cost for OOS students for a 3 credit course is I believe around $1200.00 which is much, much less than taking the course at UD itself. These courses are the same as those courses offered at UD and they are listed as such on a student’s transcript. Full-time matriculated students are eligible to take these courses during the Winter and Summer sessions only with minimal restrictions in a few majors. While the number of courses offered are relatively small many courses to satisfy Group requirements are available. Lab courses are not included. You can save a ton of money by taking courses in this manner. My D (a nursing major) took several courses this way which really allowed her to minimize her course load during the regular semesters. Hope this info is helpful.</p>
<p>Make that “Site Participant” courses. Also the local college computer labs generally charge a small fee ($25-$50) to use the computer lab. No matter where you live there usually is a college/community college computer lab near enough that you would not have to travel far to get there. This is set up when you register for the courses at UD. It is very easy to do.</p>