Many Oswego students are ringing in the new year with learning, as the college has nearly 1,000 registrations for Winter Session classes, Jan. 2 to 19.
Undergraduates and graduate students across many majors, participants may have different reasons for taking Winter Session classes, but for many the opportunity to get ahead, stay on track and take advantage of the compressed class schedule are primary draws. Some take Winter Session classes to maintain credits for the Excelsior Scholarship or stay on track for the Oswego Guarantee Graduation ROI incentive or take a course of great interest to them.
“I have taken winter courses before,” said Brendon Candella, who is taking a course in adolescent human development. “They are convenient for non-traditional students such as myself. Most importantly I like the fact that the course is condensed down into around three weeks. I work better when a course goes at a faster pace instead of being drawn out over an entire semester. … Having courses available during Winter Session makes use of time that would be spent being idle and it makes productive use of extra time between semesters.”
The senior is taking the course as an elective but considering a second degree in career and technical education after finishing his broadcasting degree. As he looks at teaching options, the Winter Session course “is the first rung in that ladder,” Candella said. “I also hope that the course will help me in teaching students within my field.”
"What interested me in taking a winter course was that it definitely minimizes the work load for my final semester here at Oswego,” said Yvonne Hudson, a senior gender and women’s studies major. “With taking this winter course, I only need to take four classes in my final semester here and that gives me more time to focus on my career path, finding different internships and maintaining my blog.”
Also a social media intern for the gender and women’s studies program, Hudson looks forward to her chosen course of “Gangs in American Society,” expecting “to learn about the history of gangs in this country from an intersectional perspective meaning that I want to be able to better understand the social/racial politics that can affect a person’s reasons behind joining gangs,” Hudson said. “I expect that the class breaks down stereotypes about gangs and the people that join them. I also hope the class sheds a light on the fact that different people join gangs and not just certain types of people.”
Darcy DiBiase, assistant director of marketing at SUNY Upstate Medical University, and graduate student in Oswego’s MBA-health services administration program, looks to continue advancing her career by taking a course in social entrepreneurship.
“As a very part-time student, taking just one class per semester, the winter session is a great chance for me to sneak in an extra check mark for my course work,” DiBiase said. As a full-time professional, she finds a course with a condensed timeline “helps re-energize my commitment and helps me pick up some momentum and stay the course to get closer to my goals. I'm also very interested in taking a course with (MBA Director) Irene Scruton, as she's been invaluable to me as a resource in my journey through the program.”
Oswego’s MBA-HSA program “gives more opportunity to delve into the many diverse aspects of health care,” DiBiase said. “This might include anything from understanding the laws and legislation of health care to reimbursement finances to credentials for assisted-living facility management. … For me, having this degree gives me a better grasp of the complexities of health care and will help me to advance to the next level of leadership in my career.”
For more information about Winter Session, including courses offered, registration and payment, visit www.oswego.edu/winter.