Mississippi College Welcomes Wintermester

With new winter course offerings, MC hopes to help students maximize their education.

For the first time ever, Mississippi College will be offering a winter semester, or Wintermester.

Wintermester enables students to complete a three-credit hour semester course in just 19 days. Additionally, courses will not only be offered to students currently attending MC but also to students enrolled at other universities. This allows students to get ahead in their coursework, and it offers outside students the opportunity to take courses that may not be available to them at their current universities. 

Nelson Hall stands capped with snow — a rarity. While MC likely won’t see snow this year, it will see changes to its academic calendar. (Photo Credit: MC Office of Marketing and Communications)

“This has offered us a chance to allow students to experience MC who never have done that before,” said Dr. Mignon Kucia, Professor of Communication.

Since Wintermester is not exclusive to full-time MC students, outside students have the chance to learn from MC professors and diversify their education. 

“Maybe somebody’s going to State and they’ve never done anything with MC,” Kucia said. “They take classes through our winter session and they realize that they like it… We are encouraging and inviting folks who are in other schools who want to take a class to come here and do it.” 

Furthermore, the Wintermester provides students an opportunity to finish school at an accelerated pace. Paired with the Maymester that MC will continue to offer, students can take up to twelve extra hours in classes that they would not ordinarily be able to take in the traditional semester. As a result, students who want to graduate more quickly are able to do so. 

During the school year, class difficulty is often amplified by having to balance workloads from multiple courses, but during Wintermester, students are able to centralize their focus on one class without having other courses vying for attention. 

“Typically you’re not dealing with five other classes at the same time, so you can focus just on one,” Kucia said. “For instance, if it’s something that’s difficult… then you can say, you know, three hours a day that’s all I’m going to do, and you don’t have to worry about a paper due for another class.” 

One of the most notable advantages of Wintermester is academic flexibility. If a class isn’t offered in the spring, a student may be able to take it during the Wintermester.

“My hope is that it gives students an opportunity to manage their academic lives better,” Kucia said. “It gives them more options, especially for classes that may be more difficult.” 

This year, Mississippi College will join the many schools offering winter sessions. Along with that, the university will be offering many students the opportunity to enhance their education in a way that was not previously available to them. It is another way that Mississippi College continues to provide various avenues for students to maximize their education.

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