Jan-term

Jan-term, also J-term, Jan term, January term, Winter term and Interterm, is a 3 week period in January between the fall and spring semesters. Hampshire students often take a course during Jan-term, but some take more than one. According to the Merrill House office, approximately 750 Hampshire students are on campus for the whole of Jan-term 2009. Another 75 students are on campus for at least some of the month.

How many courses can a student take during Jan-term?
Of course, at Hampshire College, a student can take as many courses as they wish, at any time.

Right?

Technically this is true. But there is, of course, a catch.

For only a certain number of these courses can be made available on The Hub. Meaning that only some of them will appear on your 'official' transcript. Meaning that only some will count towards your Div II, your Div II, even your Div III, and often towards grad-school applications.

During a full-length academic semester, you can take up to 6 courses or course-equivalents. That is the absolute ceiling. You can only be registered for 6 "things," or "quanta," or (say it softly) "credit-hours," at a time. This includes both Spring Term and Fall Term.

But what of Jan-Term or "Interterm?" What of that three-week course period that makes the 5 Colleges so special?

Traditionally a Hampshire student only takes 1 J-Term class. As such, it's not often an issue. But sometimes they want to take more. Sometimes two are taken. What about three? What about four? What about more?

How many accredited courses can a Hampshire student get during Jan-term?

I wasn't sure. There doesn't seem to be any clear answer. Nothing in the college Constitution. Nothing in the Community Norms or in NSNS. But I have asked around, and gotten these various responses:

My Div I advisor told me that you can only take 1 course during Jan-Term.

A friend told me that he took 2 courses last Jan-Term.

My Div II advisor has told me that she doesn't know.

A friend's Div III advisor told me that you could take 2 courses, no more.

A professor friend of mine who is currently on sabbatical says that it's the same as a regular semester, up to 6.

Zena Clift, Associate Dean of Advising down at CASA, says the following: "As long as there are no time conflicts, you can add two I believe."

and Natalie W. Owen, Division III Coordinator at Central Records, says the following: "At the moment there is no limit [to the number of courses you can take during Jan-Term]. This issue will be looked at soon because too many students sign up for more than one and do not complete them."

Being that it's Hampshire college, it's hard to tell which one of these is true. Or at least, truest. At the moment I expect the answer is the same as the answer to most Hampshire questions: "it's whatever you can talk them into giving you."

Likely, though, the last of the above messages is the most authoritative. Reading it over, I can only conclude that the Hampshire Powers-That-Be will soon be arbitrating upon this specific issue. Pretty soon, I expect, there will be a set maximum number of courses that one can take over J-Term, and that this maximum will be put upon every Hampshire student equally.

Yet for the moment - - - subject, of course, to the approval of the professors who are teaching/supervising the course of study, the deans of their respective Schools, the people who work in Central Records, the deans of Advising, and of course, Dean Berman - - - I can only conclude that a Hampshire student can take as many courses as they want during Jan-Term. Up to 6 at least. Perhaps more.

I myself will be trying to take three. Wish me luck!

-david axel kurtz div II / f06 dak06@