The holidays are over, you’ve returned from your travels and exhausted any and all hobbies, and yet two uneventful weeks of winter break remain. Boredom has set in, and classes can’t come soon enough.
This was the life of many students over winter break from 2020 until J-Term was dissolved this last winter break.
The Nebraska University System’s decision to do this was the right call.
With the removal of J-Term, the new length of winter break was the perfect amount of time. The break would drag on when it lasted for five to six weeks. The shorter break allowed us to catch our breath and enjoy time off without becoming too much of a break.
Without J-Term, the break felt more like a pause rather than a complete halt in our academics.
This made a big difference when coming back for the spring semester. Our team felt it was easier to get back in the rhythm of classes, commitments and extracurriculars than it had been in years past. Having such a long break ruined the flow we as students spent all of the fall semester forming, only to have to restart in the spring.
J-Term was created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Classes served as an opportunity to get ahead or catch up from any disruptions the pandemic caused in students’ collegiate plans.
While a beneficial option in previous years, J-Term classes are no longer as strong of a need. Summer classes can serve a similar purpose, and the tight schedule made them a difficult option. These classes had to squeeze a semester’s worth of content into a few weeks – a challenge for both professors and students.
More students can enjoy the winter break now. Those who did choose to take J-Term classes in the past were ultimately enrolled in a class from August to May with no substantial break. If they also took summer classes, then those students had no break from academics at all.
Rather than being refueled to start the new semester, many would just feel drained and incapable of having a successful semester.
The elimination of J-Term also allows us to finish the spring semester earlier in May. Not only does this align our schedule more with other universities and schools in the state, but it also allows students to do more with their summers. Summer jobs can start sooner, allowing students to earn and save more for paying for their education. This also opens up more time for vacations and summer activities.
Rather than have an extra week or two of the cold in January, we get more time off during May’s beautiful weather.
While there is always the possibility that J-Term may return, going without it was the right choice for our University right now. It was a smooth transition back to classes, and we are excited to see what the early out in May brings.
