Students share best way to spend J-term

As the fall semester winds down and winter break approaches, students are starting to plan ahead for the upcoming J-term. The three-week interim offers students a chance to slow down, explore and take on a hard class — or for those who are studying abroad, it offers academic experience and adventure beyond campus.

To sophomore exercise science major Noah McGovern, J-term feels like a breath of fresh air. While on campus this January taking Lifespan Human Development, McGovern is looking forward to the simplicity.

“I like how I only have to focus on one class,” he said.

After juggling labs, mandatory workouts and a full class schedule this fall, the idea of having a single class and extra free time is exciting to McGovern. He plans to focus on taking time for himself and running. Instead of squeezing miles in between classes, he is looking forward to slowing down and actually enjoying himself.

“I’m excited to use my extra free time to run without feeling rushed to get to my next class,” McGovern said.

Even though he’s staying on campus this January, he has goals to study abroad in the future. McGovern said he is interested in studying abroad somewhere in Europe and imagines taking a history course in a country where history is all around him. In his mind, J-term is important because it gives students options, especially the chance to tackle tough courses without the chaos of a full academic schedule.

But what McGovern appreciates most about J-term is the chance for relaxation.

“It breaks up the semester,” he said. “And it lets you explore something you’ve never done before.”

Sophomore finance major Addisu Haverly also sees J-term as a chance to learn something new. He’s enrolled in an Intrapersonal Communications course and is thrilled to shift his focus away from numbers and spreadsheets.

“I’m most excited to learn about people’s inner feelings,” Haverly said. “It’s something I’ve never really studied before but I’m curious about.”

The slower pace for Haverly means more time to focus on the material and relax.

Like McGovern, Haverly sees J-term as a chance to explore. He’s hoping to study abroad someday, ideally somewhere warm and ocean-blue like the Caribbean, and imagines taking a human geography or business course.

For senior Hannah Woody, an elementary education major, J-term is more than just a month-long class: It’s an opportunity to see different cultures and perspectives. While she plans to stay on campus this year to finish one last class before starting student teaching in the spring, she’s already had the interim experience of a lifetime.

Last year, Woody traveled to Norway for an education course and had the opportunity to work directly with special needs students. She said that the experience changed the way she imagines her future classroom.

“I feel like I gained a ton of new knowledge and strategies to use going into teaching by studying abroad,” she said. “This was a very hands-on experience, and I think you can be taught certain things one million times but it only clicks when you’re actually applying that knowledge to a field.”

Woody’s first time traveling outside of the United States reshaped her understanding of her field.

“My entire focus was just on teaching and evaluating the education system there, which helped give me a fresh new perspective,” she said.

Woody went on to encourage students to look into study-abroad programs and seize the opportunity J-term has to offer.

What ties all three students together isn’t what they are studying or where they are going. It’s that J-term gives them room to breathe, think and become curious.

For some, it’s a chance to get ahead. Others take a trip that changes their lives. But for many, it’s the only time of year when they slow down enough to notice what they actually enjoy.

As campus shifts to prepare for the rhythm of J-term, McGovern, Haverly and Woody are already imagining what their January will look like. But all are grateful for something that’s simple and rare in college: time.