January Term (J-term)
One nice thing that is available at Messiah College is the division that exists between our January term (J-term) and our Spring semester. Financially and credit wise they are all considered “Spring Semester”, but you are able to divide your available 18 credits between the two. Usually a student would take a 3 credit course during J-term and then take 15 credits during Spring semester to equal 18 credits total. Does that make sense? I hope it does. As a First Year I took a J-term cross cultural trip to Costa Rica. I spent a month there with a bunch of other students from Messiah and it was one of the best experiences of my life. I was able to see the jungle, go zip-lining, eat authentic Tican food, and see some beautiful places. I highly recommend doing some kind of cross cultural experience while you are at Messiah. During my sophomore year and currently my junior year I have stayed home to enjoy a month break between the Fall and Spring semesters. Not many people do this on campus and after taking to many of my friends who have done a J-term during their college careers, I have found that it seems to be a positive experience for them. For some it is good because you spend three weeks on one subject. The class is about three hours a day Monday through Friday. This allows some people to truly focus. Others say that they cannot keep themselves focused through that whole time. My thing is that I enjoy having a breather from academic work between each semester. My suggestion to you: Try it, see what works best for you, and work your hardest! 