College winter break can usually be summed up by one of three things: you worked, you took a winter class, or you Netflixed everyday. A good chunk of students usually take a winter class during the winter term to catch up in their degree program, complete a curriculum requirement, or boost their GPA, or even for all of the above. My first time taking a winter class was after I had finally declared myself as a Journalism major and I needed to catch up in the program because I was almost a year behind. Let me tell you, taking even one winter class makes a HUGE difference if you’re behind in your program. Yes, it was pretty costly because I had to pay for winter housing (ya girl cannot drive two hours both ways four days a week in crappy weather) but it was still worth it.
Most people think, “oh, a three-week class? This’ll be the easiest A I’ve ever gotten!” Well, not necessarily… Winter classes often move at a much faster pace because you need to learn at least 12 weeks of material in three weeks. Also, the class time is MUCH longer EVERYDAY. Usually, you’ll have class for three hours a day, four days a week. It can get pretty mind numbing after a while. And if your class starts at 8am, good luck… If you’ve never taken a winter class before, here are some things to be wary of if you truly want to do well and finish in one piece.
1. Go to bed early.
If you think having an 8am class twice a week during the fall semester is bad, wait till you have it four times a week in the winter. Make sure you get to bed early so you don’t wake up late and arrive to class late. Even if your class starts later in the day, you still want to be well-rested because the classes go on for at least three hours (that’s how mine was) and I really don’t recommend struggling to keep your eyes open in this situation. One of the cool things about staying on campus during intersession is that there isn’t much going on at this time on campus — no parties, no friends trying to get you to go to the club, no annoying people down the hall blasting music until all hours of the morning. So, there are far fewer distractions to keep you from getting a good night’s sleep.
2. Bring water and a snack to class.
You’re definitely going to get hungry, especially if you didn’t have time to grab a bite before leaving for class. This is especially important if you’re commuting to your winter class because you likely wouldn’t pay for a meal plan for the winter session (I know I wouldn’t if I were a commuter) so bringing a snack from home will help you stay alert during class. I used to pack a banana and granola bar into my backpack before leaving my room and they always came in handy!
Related: How To Survive Back-to-Back Classes (With No Breaks In Between!)
3. Use your break to stretch your legs.
You get a 15-20 minute break halfway through, so that’s nice. Use this break to get up and walk around because you’ll definitely get tired of being glued to the same spot for the entirety of the class. You definitely want to do this if you find it difficult to sit still during a lecture that lasts one hour and 30 minutes. Walk to the water fountain; step outside for a quick breath of fresh air. This is also the perfect time to have that granola bar you packed.
4. Work on homework assignments immediately.
Everything is sped up and you do get homework assignments just like you would if the class were held during a regular semester. You definitely get much less time to complete the assignments because your professor is trying to get you through so much material, so make sure you keep your head in the game and finish all of your assignments in a timely manner. You really can’t afford to miss one. As soon as you’re given an assignment, begin thinking about what you’ll need to do in order to prepare for it and/or complete it. The great thing about winter classes is that you’re only taking one class (winter session is usually limited to three or four credits), so you don’t have any other class assignments to get in your way. In other words, there’s no excuse to slack on the homework. You’re going to work extremely hard during winter session, so don’t let your guard down!
5. Get to know the people in your class.
I met some of my closest friends during my winter class. A lot of the classes will have fewer than 100 and even fewer than 50 people. My class had around 10 students, so it was very easy to know everyone by the end of the week. Having a buddy to share the misery with makes things a whole lot better, so don’t be shy! Winter classes are also great for making connections with professors because they’re more likely to give you individual attention when they have fewer students to lecture to. Their office hours may be out of whack, but that doesn’t mean you can’t approach them before or after class, or even during your break. Your professor will really get to know you and your skills, which can be really good if you want to reach out to them later in your college career for a letter of recommendation or something.
6. Stay engaged during class.
It’s going to be very easy to feel like falling asleep in class. It’s cold af outside; you’re already bundled up in a warm, cozy sweater; you have a piping hot cup of coffee right in front of you. So why not just close your eyes for 20 minutes? Oh, because if you do you’ll basically miss a day’s worth of notes. Missing important details definitely isn’t on the syllabus. This is also why it’s important to get as much sleep as you can for this class. Stay awake by drinking water frequently, chewing gum, and raising your hand in class to occasionally answer or ask a question. For some reason, when you actually answer questions in class, the time seems to just fly by. Maybe because you don’t have to sit there worrying that the professor will randomly call on you because you haven’t spoken in a while. I don’t know, I could be wrong. Making a new friend in class may also motivate you to keep each other awake.
7. Dress in layers.
There were some days when the classroom was insanely warm and other days when it was freezing cold. This also applies to the regular semester, too, because we all have that one classroom where we simply can’t win with just a long sleeve, or just a sweater. Layering is your best bet at staying comfortable. If you’ve gotten this far in the post, you probably know by now that the class is really long so you need to make sure you aren’t freezing or burning up for three hours straight.
8. Have money on hand.
I was required to have a meal plan for the winter session because I lived on campus and, honestly, there weren’t many dining halls open so I was basically buying a sandwich and a banana everyday for lunch and dinner. During the winter session, you likely won’t have all the dining halls open and operating — just one, maybe two if you’re lucky — so you’ll likely get tired of eating the same thing over and over again. If you bring some money with you, you can order take out and have some leftovers for a couple of nights. This also comes in handy when the weather gets really bad and you don’t want to leave your room.
9. Have your cold weather essentials.
This can include touch screen gloves (my favorite essential!), cold medicine, and other things that you think you might need. You wouldn’t pack a parka to go to the desert, so make sure you’re bringing all the right stuff to survive the harsh weather. I won’t discuss this too much here because I have a blog post about winter essentials that you can check out.
10. Be a smart textbook buyer.
Last, but certainly not least, this is one you really have to watch out for. You don’t have a month to decide whether or not it’s worth getting a textbook for your class, so you really have to be on your toes for this. Talk to people who have taken the class during the winter session and see if and how often they used the textbook. A lot of times, the textbooks are used heavily because the winter session is so short and professors might direct you to the textbook for anything that can’t be covered in class. But I know spending money on textbooks is a major drag, so I have a post on how to buy textbooks in college. This past semester, I only spent $15 on textbooks! Crazy, right?
Have you ever taken a class during winter session? What are your survival tips?
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