Okay, first, let me explain what J-term is. Here at Hastings College, my amazing college, we have a month between semesters, January, where we just take one class for that entire month. It's exactly three weeks, with a break before we start second semester. Some colleges may have this month at different times, like in May or whatnot, but my college has it strategically placed in the middle of the school year.
I like this because we are able to take one class, taking an LAP is usually a good idea, for those three weeks. So, if you're like me and hate science or math, you take your science or math class during this month to be able to have the time to just focus on that and not the million and one other things that you have to with other classes during fall or spring semesters.
In my opinion, it's a blessing.
However, it can also be a curse.
Like I said, it's the only class you take for the whole three weeks. So you basically get a week's worth of homework and lessons in one day and sometimes it's a struggle to keep up. Almost every night for this J-term I have had at least three chapters to read, vocab and key terms to go over, and then two homework assignments, one due before nine am with the other due before five pm the next day.
Now, also having a job and trying to have some sort of social life outside of this class is kind of hard. I have a significant other that I love to be around, and I have a hard time focusing on the things I need to get done when I'm around him because I'd rather be laughing and goofing around with him then read about the orbits.
It also makes it a bit hard to have time to come up with things to write about for the Odyssey. I love writing, but sometimes I have a hard time concentrating on anything after I finish doing my homework. That could partly be because I don't usually get it done until around or after midnight.
It can seriously be a struggle bus, but it's so worth it.
So if you have the chance and ability to take a class you know you're going to loath, for a whole month like I am with this science class, I strongly suggest doing so. It may seem really tough and hard at the time, but I promise that in the long run it will make your life so much easier as you go through college.
