A January To Remember

The Curricular Review appears to finally be making progress, albeit slowly. Although recommendations in the April 2004 Report on the Harvard College Curricular Review proposed calendar reform, only now is the proposal coming to fruition. In the past, we have criticized the anticipated calendar change and its complimentary January term (J-term). But given that we do have a J-term, the administration should make the options for J-term as inclusive as possible.

In the J-term we envision, Harvard would offer multiple options for students in January, beyond just an extended vacation for the entire period. For example, the Office of Career Services should work to help students find internships or jobs for the duration of either J-term or winter break. Doing so would allow students to gain valuable career experience, and potentially earn supplementary income during their time off—an opportunity already present at many other schools.

In addition, the Office of International Programs should work with the J-term program to help tailor study abroad programs and accessible funding sources. Today more than ever, an increasing number of Harvard students are taking advantage of the College’s study abroad programs, but not all choose to take a full term to study abroad. For those actively involved in extracurricular activities or on one of Harvard’s 41 varsity athletic teams, logistical constraints prevent international study. The J-term presents a unique opportunity for students to have a fulfilling three- to five-week international experience put together with the help of the College. With sufficient funding, this program could allow all students at Harvard to have an international experience by the time they graduate—regardless of financial, extracurricular, or academic constraints.

On campus, the administration should encourage professors and graduate students to teach not-for-credit seminars, either academic or non-academic in nature. They could span everything from home economics and cooking to finance and accounting. These seminars would be a wonderful opportunity for students to dabble in new disciplines or subjects only of peripheral interests. Moreover, the intimate nature of such classes would encourage more student-faculty interaction and exchange.

Most importantly, however, these myriad programs must remain optional. Students should not feel that they have to take a seminar, go abroad, or get a job. The J-term should not simply morph into yet another opportunity for students to compete with one another to bolster their transcripts and resumes. Seminars should not be given for academic credit, and no internship or study abroad program should be mandatory. While these measures would go far to mitigate the excesses of competition, we look to the faculty and administration to continue to reinforce this message as well.

The new January term has the potential to provide students with the capability to take advantages of all of the resources Harvard has to offer—to learn new disciplines, to work in new fields, and travel to foreign countries. But in order for this potential to be realized, Harvard must implement a free and flexible J-term to address the broad swath of student interests.