Yes, I’m a senior, and yes, I am in love with the idea of J-Term.

Now, I know that I personally won’t ever get to experience it. Even so, I envy those of you who get to go on abbreviated study abroad trips or spend the time focusing on just one class, thoroughly learning a subject without any other scholastic distractions.

I never got to study abroad in my time at Guilford because of scheduling constraints, and I’m also pretty easily distracted from my school work. But then, what student isn’t? So, you can see why I might be enamored with the idea of a J-Term. Three weeks of doing something that I actually want to do and getting credit for it? Yes, please.

Something that I think most students don’t know about J-Term is that a student can propose their own session. For example, if I wanted to do a mini-internship somewhere, I could tell the school about it and do it for credit, and it would count towards the internship that my major requires. Plus, since it’s only a three-week-long session, if you end up hating the job then you don’t have to do it for a whole semester or summer.

And there’s a much smaller chance of getting bored because your boss doesn’t give you enough to do.

Because you can propose your own J-Term, as well, doing something like an abbreviated senior thesis or some other research proposal or independent study is possible. Plus, those extra credits can help you graduate on time, which seems like a common problem that many Guilford students face. I know a lot of people who are here for an entire extra semester just because they need one more class in order to graduate, which is far more expensive than a J-Term would be.

The J-Term is also a great opportunity for CCE students. As it stands now, not very many CCE students get the opportunity to study abroad because of things like work or families that should and do come first. However, with the new J-Term option, CCE students could do a very brief three-week study abroad trip somewhere that wouldn’t take them away from their jobs or family very much at all, and they’d still get the valuable and exciting experience of study abroad.

Basically, what I’m trying to say is that not only is the J-Term a viable option for Guilford students of all ages, but it actually seems like a really delightful option, as well.

So please, try out J-Term if you’re still here next year. Because, who doesn’t want to spend a few weeks in Italy during the winter?