Expansion of Interest Luca Mezzanote ‘23

Expansion of Interest

Luca Mezzanote ‘23

It must be acknowledged that Belmont Hill, while preparing its students for the future with a slew of rigorous academic programs, fails to incorporate many special interests that students may have. It is common that the first experience one may have with courses in fields such as finance or engineering come in college. This lack of preparation can leave students with very little idea of what they want to study and eventually have a career in. The addition of a J-term to the Belmont Hill curriculum would allow students to pursue potential interests while still at Belmont Hill instead of solely being bound by the course options.

While the current course structure does have some variety, specifically in senior year with courses like economics leading the charge in the list of courses not traditional to the curriculum in any other years, there is a blaring lack of opportunities to study areas of interest. Having two weeks to intensely study a certain subject has the obvious advantage of having a chance to look into things that aren’t in the curriculum but also it can serve as a test period so in college no one ends up taking a course out of curiosity and learning that they hate the subject.

The advantages of a J-term in the realm of college are quite apparent as it can be helpful to understand what one is interested in when making decisions on where to apply, and then what course to choose once at school. The potential downside of the J-term is missing out on two weeks of classes; however, this issue can easily be combated. By making classes 45 minutes instead of 40 on short block days and simply lengthening the day by 30 minutes, the roughly 33 hours lost are easily replaced in a way that is not too intrusive on sports.

This term would be especially beneficial to the third formers who traditionally don’t have the opportunity to customize their schedule. It serves as a break in the monotony and allows kids to start formulating their future early. While not entirely necessary it does no harm to know what one wants to study and have a career in before applying to college.

The benefits of a J-term are numerous: Expansion of interest, planning of the future, and a break from the monotony of mandatory courses. While the loss of class time must be acknowledged, as previously mentioned, it can be combated by lengthening the academic day 30 minutes. How can increased academic opportunities possibly be seen as a negative? The J-term would enhance the Belmont Hill experience and better set up its students for the future.