Winter term - opinions on requirements

Parent Cafe
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<p>My 3 attend(ed) 3 different CC top LACs - all having different winter term requirements. #1 had to do "something", on or off campus 3 of the 4 years, #2 has the month free and #3 has to be in a course on campus or participating in a college program all 4 years. I question the the requirement for #1 and 3 - I could see it offered as an opportunity, but would anyone have any insight as to why some schools require their students to be productive in a way that could be assessed or on campus in January?</p>

<p>(I tried to search to see if this has been addressed, but couldn't find any specific threads - please feel free to redirect me!)</p>

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<p>It’s just a requirement of the school. You could ask why Dartmouth requires each student to take courses during one summer of their enrollment too. It’s a requirement of the school and schools can set their own criteria for enrollment and requirements.</p>

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<p>gusaspara - I have no clue why schools handle winter terms differently. But I think it’s a good thing that students have choices. Different strokes and all that …</p>

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<p>Welcome to a new member!</p>

<p>My 3 also had 3 different kinds of Winter Term expectations, akin to yours. D at Oberlin: students had to propose and gain faculty approval for each WInter Term project (3 out of 4 years had required projects). There were criteria such as Personal Growth, Career, or Academic, with a limit to how many could be for Personal Growth. Some are for career shadowing or internships with alumni. These expectations allow students to try out new subject areas or interests with faculty guidance and use of academic resources on campus. Some kids learned the beginnings of a new language, tried out a new musical instrument, and many other worthwhile projects, both group and individual. My D wrote a manuscript for a children’s book, with a weekly faculty meeting for guidance. </p>

<p>Another LAC provided no programming except for athletes, so my S came home a bit puzzled freshman year and didn’t know what to do with himself. The following years, he stayed on campus with extremely productive use of this long block of time for writing. In his senior year, he wrote the large part of his senior thesis then.</p>

<p>A small university (youngest S) has some coursework that can let kids accomplish a credit or two, but they’re not required to take it. It’s an obvious advantage to pick up a credit then to lighten a courseload in other semesters. </p>

<p>We have career interns come live at our house during Winter Term from Oberlin, which is very interesting and beneficial to all. I get to fill up the empty bedrooms, feed the students, and in exchange we get free hands to help us at our work, plus mentorship to the students. In a few days, someone’s coming to catalogue my H’s archaeology collection. Pretty interesting project! Good resume material for her.</p>

<p>Responding to OP’s question, Oberlin suggests the on-campus environment as a way to experience the campus with less academic pressure, use the faculty and library resources, engage with other students at a different pace. Freshman are encouraged to stay on campus for their first Winter Term. Faculty assessment is in the form of meetings or reviews to accomplish project goals, but no grades are given. As career alumni, we’ll go over the students’ objectives before and after the project to ensure their time is well-spent with us.</p>

<p>My S, at another LAC (Amherst) enjoyed being in a scholastic environment when he was writing his senior thesis. He had every available resource, just no classes in session. Why on earth would I want him to come home when he could have all of those resources at his fingertips? Much better for him, even though he had no official meetings with advisors that month.</p>