Winter in Vermont is not for the faint of heart. J-Term at Middlebury represents a break from the usual academic schedule, yielding the freedom to try something new in academics or extracurriculars — but you may also find yourself cowering indoors from the cold with little to do.
In the free and adventurous spirit of J-Term, we decided to write about our favorite and least favorite parts of the shortest semester at Middlebury. Without further ado, here are some of the things we like and dislike about J-Term.
Our most obvious “like” of this semester is the snow that always seems to be accumulating just outside our doors. Walking outdoors at night with flurries falling all around on a silent campus is especially majestic, as is waking up in the morning to several fresh inches. Vermont blizzards and ample free time maximize our potential for snow sculptures — one Board member shared how he and a friend stayed up until 2 a.m. building a 100-yard snake with snowballs. It’s classic for a reason, and we are always dreaming of a white J-Term.
One unanimous dislike was the limited light hours and seasonal blues that come knocking at everyone’s door at some time during the darkness and cold of the winter months. We all know what it’s like to feel sad for no particular reason except a 4 p.m. sunset, and in J-Term, especially when fewer demanding day-to-day tasks keep us occupied, this can be especially present.
Another aspect of J-Term we’d like to highlight is the freedom from the structure that accompanies a regular four-course schedule in the fall and spring. While having multiple courses can help spark new connections across disciplines and cover more material, the opportunity to spend one month dedicated to a specific class is invaluable. Language learners are often surprised by just how much their proficiency can grow in a short time, and many other students take advantage of visiting professors who teach subjects ranging from journalism to woodworking. Plus, the frequent and lengthy class blocks can lend themselves to forming a small community among your classmates and professor for the month.
While J-Term offers many students the opportunity to zero in on just one area of academia of professionalism, some find this situation unfavorable — as Middlebury students, we often treasure having a diverse array of coursework available to us, and if we end up in a class we don’t enjoy as much as we did reading its description in the course catalog, it is easy to feel stuck. Not only this, but J-Term occupations vary significantly in commitment levels. Some of us are grinding to finish our theses, while others are learning to salsa, and this dissimilarity may leave us unable to relate to or share schedules with our friends.
But no matter which course or internship you’re enrolled in, J-Term is a month overflowing with possibilities to gain new skills or take up new hobbies. Some members of our board are participating in J-Term workshops, brief courses in J-Term taught by fellow students. Clicking the button on Ideal to register for these workshops is like joining a mad dash, and those with the quickest fingers are rewarded by learning to figure skate, hunt, interact with horses, mend clothing, and much more — not to mention the number of students each J-Term that finally take up ski lessons, either officially or casually from enthusiastic friends.
In no particular order, here are the honorable mentions for our J-Term preferences.
We like: Dolci breakfast, a grassroots resurgence in knitting, bundling up for the cold weather, getting lost in our unstructured days, sun lamps, hot chocolate (or any hot beverage) and Ian Baucom, our newest president.
We don’t like: snowy flight delays, climate change, getting lost driving back to campus, skiing overtaking campus culture and the imminent risk of slipping on ice.
