J-Term Study Options
N
ow that January is approaching, many students will be taking advantage of the multitude of J-term study options. I highly encourage every student to spend at least one January studying instead of taking a break from school; not only will it be an academically and socially rewarding experience, it can be a whole lot of fun!
The first step in making sure that you have a successful J-term experience is determining exactly what you want to do. There are several options. Probably the most common is just taking a J-term class. This is very similar to taking a class during the semester, with a few notable differences. First, obviously, is the shorter length of the class. Because you only have one month to complete the class, you’ll be going to it more often and for longer periods of time. You might go four or five days a week, and anywhere from three to five hours at a time (depending on how your school does it; there is a lot of variation). And while this may sound like way too much studying when you’re supposed to be out of school, you have to think about the class you’re taking. For example, I took an English class focused on hard-boiled detective fiction, in which we read books like The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep. How cool is that? Many departments offer fun classes over J-term, so check out the catalog and see what you can find.
Another study focused option is studying abroad. Most schools offer study abroad programs, and those that don’t can hook you up with one that does pretty easily. You can travel all over the world and study whatever you’d like. Many students at my university studied theater in London, theology in Rome, and business all over Europe. I studied ghosts and monsters in 19th-century British literature in the UK. You have all kinds of options, both in classes and destinations. Some programs even travel through different areas, so you may be able to see several different countries over the course of a month. To find a study abroad program, check out www.studyabroad.com.
Another great J-term option is the service-learning trip. This is less focused on academic learning and more centered around volunteer service. You could be building houses in Mexico, helping out at a school in Tanzania, or doing natural disaster cleanup in South America. There are many service-learning organizations that take J-term trips with college students—ask around your campus, and you’ll be sure to find at least one that you can hook up with.
No matter what you do over J-term, I recommend making the most of it. Take one or two to do nothing (you deserve it), but use the rest of them to do something beneficial for yourself and others. Maybe it’s studying, maybe it’s serving, or maybe it’s something completely different. What have you spent your J-terms doing? Leave comments below and let us know!



There’s no denying it now. No matter where you live, winter is here. Most of the country has seen some snow, and those that haven’t are getting cold (well, relatively, anyway). Most college students are done with finals by now, or will be very shortly, so it’s time to get outside and enjoy the winter! You may be thinking, “Enjoy winter outside? Why would I do that? I’d much rather be inside!”
Just like staying involved in your high school, staying connected with your college—both while you’re there and after you graduate—is both rewarding and important. And while the two have several things in common, there are different ways in which you can maintain your level of involvement in your college campus. Because of the great differences in how high schools and colleges are run, you’ll have to go about the process a little differently.
College students have varied opinions of their high schools. Some have a great deal of pride in them; others don’t look back at all. Some stay in contact with their high school friends and teachers; others cut their ties when they leave for college. However you feel about your high school, there are many ways in which you can stay involved and give back to it.
“Volunteering” is a bit of a nebulous term, and is used by a lot of people in many different places. You’ve almost certainly heard it when someone’s talking about college applications, saying that volunteering is very valuable on

