As I wait in line at the Grill to place my order, I am bombarded with familiar faces and quickly find myself invested in several conversations all starting off with the same question, “How was your break?”

Whether you spent J-Term studying abroad, relaxing on the couch at home, playing a sport, or taking a course here on campus, memories were made and shared.

Director of the Friends Center Max Carter spent his J-Term in Palestine and Israel. The trip consisted of visiting holy sites, volunteering and facing a five-day snowstorm in Jerusalem.

“The trip was incredible,” said Carter. “I had high hopes for it, and it exceeded my expectations.

“When plans didn’t go the way we had anticipated, the backup plans were just as good.”

Guilford’s pilot J-Term was a success in terms of enrollment (176 students), content (62 different experiences) and faculty/staff involvement (39). The many different experiences offered for J-Term included independent studies, internships and study abroad programs.

“I did J-Term because it gave me an opportunity to travel. I went to Cuba where I took classes on peace and conflict and did charity work in various homes and churches,” said sophomore James O’Neil. “I will definitely attend next year.”

“Woodworking with Jim Hood was awesome, and I would definitely do it again,” said senior Taylor Teodosio. “It’s a great way to get an extra four credits without it being too long.”

As successful as many people thought J-Term was, there were several people that weren’t big fans. Several complaints consisted of bad weather, limited food and the feeling of loneliness on campus.

“I was pissed at the fact that this year there weren’t any classes that went towards a general education requirement,” said sophomore Skylor Bee-Latty. “I understand that this was their first year testing things out for J-Term, but I didn’t like how limited we were to grill food.”

Sophomore Richard Adamson spent J-Term volunteering through Guilford at the Interactive Resource Center, a day center for homeless individuals.

Even though he had a great time sharing stories and eating dinner with his group and people from the day center, there were several things Adamson didn’t like about the program.

“The Guilford program was disorganized,” said Adamson. “If it wasn’t for the students in the group taking initiative, I don’t think half the things we did would have happened. I would like to do it next year, but I think I would do it on my own and not through the Guilford program.”

To offer the many different J-Term experiences, a lot of preparation and hard work went into making this pilot term a success. It forced several changes to course schedules, graduation dates and the academic calendar. An important thing that faculty and staff kept in mind was the safety of students.

“There was a safety issue that we were cautious about because it is scary to be in your dorm alone,” said Dean of Students Aaron Fetrow. “We did keep in mind students feeling isolated or lonely.”

Planning has already started for next January, and the goals have been set high.

“Our priorities include reducing the cost for students, improving and further supporting faculty during the proposal process, offering additional on-campus seminars and courses, and streamlining the registration process,” said Assistant to the President for Planning and Management Jeff Favolise in an email interview.

Students are optimistic that the administration and faculty will  indeed work to make J-Term an even more rewarding experience in the future.