The effect of J-Term on athletics has been a regular MHT topic. I am interested in the opinions of current or former students during the J-Term era, as well as parents of such students.
J-Term is supposed to provide additional internship and travel opportunities. Has this been your experience or observation?
It certainly does provide a perfect time for an international experience and I believe 65% of our students do some type of program like that.
Probably costs us 2-3 home game with students a year in basketball and hockey. My sons friends went back Sunday the 11th and he goes back the 25th
That 65% number is for throughout the year. I believe J Term international participation is typicaly less than 1000.
I wish the univesity provided more on-campus opportunities during J-Term for students who may not be able to travel, take a class or arrange a micro-internship during that time. Like a series of workshops or something.
It also allows students to take a full semester 3 credit hour course in a condensed time frame. Caveat Emptor-you will pay full price for the course including out of state tuition if you do so. A fact not disclosed to the father of said student. Cost for one course last year’s J term out of state: $6000!!
So theoretically it would help a student graduate a semester early if you take J-term classes.
Yes, theoretically. Or take classes the student couldn’t fit into his/her schedule.
Yep, the J Term started when my dad was working here and it’s really just a venue for Miami to get more money
From a hockey perspective, they can’t control the NCHC schedule, obviously, so they use the one series they have during J-term (this weekend) to distribute tickets to faculty.
Does basketball do that as well?
I believe my thoughts on it came through loud and clear above!
From a non-sports perspective I think it’s great. I was able to do a 3 week study abroad in Italy since I wouldn’t have been able to do a regular study abroad with the amount of credits I had to take every semester to get my masters in 4 years
I paid one year for a 3 week class to knock out a Miami plan requirement, otherwise I just worked. They say “travel and experiences” but my former professors made it very clear it’s really just a cash grab for the university from people taking those short classes.
Highly doubt 65% of students travel internationally during J Term, that would be something like 10,000 students traveling. University saves money by furloughing people like maintenance and janitorial staff for dorms, academic buildings, etc… They also make money by charging for J Term class fees which are the same as if you would take a full semester course. So its more of a money maker for the university but hurts employees and Oxford businesses.
Well I think my stat is once in their 4 years in Oxford not every January
The tradeoff is that the Spring semester goes later and the summer break is shorter, right? So wouldn’t any role that’s not working during J term be not working during summer?
Build The Arena. Kill J-Term.
I’ve seen it from the perspective of an alum who has been asked to guest lecture for one of the J-term classes. Most years, the accounting department offers a J-term class that is essentially a long field trip to New York and Washington to meet and learn from corporate executives, financial markets professionals, and policymakers. I’ve hosted them for a day six or seven times over the years.
It seems like a great experience for students with a deep interest in financial markets and/or a desire to make connections to seek employment here in the Acela corridor. But I’m sure it’s also pretty expensive, and I don’t know how much financial aid is available. The students I meet are typically quite impressive; you’d feel better about the university if you got to spend the day with them.
As a student, I had two J-terms in LOL school. (In 1L, first semester exams were after Christmas, and that sucked.) One year, I knocked out a course that was required for bar prep but in which I had no real interest. The other year, I took a deeply geeky specialty class (European value added taxes) which would have been weird to do for a whole semester but has been super-useful over the years.
Overall, my sense is that J-term might be a net enhancer of the college experience for our most affluent students but somewhere between neutral and negative for others. There’s the argument about having that month in the middle of the year to work part-time, but I don’t know how well that really works out in practice.
I nearly did this but instead opted for a more traditional jterm study abroad. I did know a couple people who did as well as the professors that lead it and only heard great things
I graduated a few years ago and while I knew some people who did J-term programs, myself and others used it as an opportunity to work and get some money before the spring semester started.
At least in theory the time taken off in January is time that is lost from the summer. My observation is that it is more renumerative and perhaps more instructive work is lost then gained.
I took a J-term study abroad to SE Asia and knocked out a Farmer elective, very much worth it but also I don’t recall too many participating in it circa 2014. The years I didn’t do the program I spent more time at home working at my high school restaurant job.