By Maddy Majewski, Emily Goggins & Kirstynne Hock
Enrollment opened for the University of Wisconsin Green Bay (UWGB) January Interim on October 22, 2021. Currently, there are 60 classes offered. These courses are accelerated learning opportunities. Student Lexi Gall and GBOSS Manager Kristi Koshuta share their insights on the winter semester.
Enrollment has steadily increased since January 2013, as seen on the graph below provided by GBOSS.
Illustration of open enrollment date. Photo taken from GBOSS’s Twitter account.
Koshuta pointed out a lot of benefits from taking winter courses in the long run. Koshuta said, “If you took 6 credits over two or three J-terms, you could potentially shave off an entire semester. Shaving off a semester also cuts the housing costs associated with being on campus if you’re able to graduate early. More so, shaving off a semester could help you avoid a tuition rate (and/or housing) increase towards the end of your program (if one is implemented).”
Koshuta added, “It’s a quick way to fulfill some general education requirements. Taking some general education requirements during J-Term may allow you to take fewer credits during a semester that may involve a lot of tougher courses.” Some J-Term classes are online, and Koshuta said, “This could be beneficial with a work schedule.”
Graph of enrollment that is increasing from winter 2013-2021.
Provided by GBOSS
Lexi Gall, a senior at UWGB, mentioned what it was like for her to take a January class and why or why not it would be a good fit. Gall has taken one January class to get ahead on credits to graduate early. Gall said, “I liked that I was able to get a class done quickly compared to a semester-long class.” Gall mentioned that it was a little difficult to cram all the semester’s worth of material into four weeks. It was a little hard for time management and caused some stress for her. Gall said, “I would personally not recommend taking a January class if you have other obligations during that time. Mainly since it takes up a majority of your time, wanting to do well will take more time than you can anticipate.”
Wanting to get ahead in your academics takes a lot of time and effort. Be ready to put in the work during a January term.