The following piece, written by the editorial editors, reflects the majority opinion of the editorial board.
The only weird thing about Miami's Winter Term is how it is changing the way we navigate the "how was your break" conversation. Before winter term's illustrious offerings, we summed up the friendly question with chatter about Christmas presents, family bonding and maybe the occasional trip to Florida.
But now, you never know what kind of international voyage, research job or big city internship will be lurking on the other side of this question.
There could be mention of trips to Greece or knocking out core requirements from the comfort of your couch. There could be selfies in front of those European monuments you've always wanted to visit. There could be curious tanned faces with a Caribbean beach as the source.
So, if all you did was go to the mall on any given snowy day over the past six weeks, prepare to be jealous. You also might want to start booking plane tickets for next year.
As the second Winter Term at Miami came and went, we watched many of our peers excitedly pack their bags for a not-so-casual January adventure. We were impressed with the growing list of opportunities for study abroad or study away. Compared to last year, Winter Term was way more popular - enrollment in Winter Term this year increased by 33 percent.
Students embraced it more this time around after the inaugral year dust had settled. Miami students are taking this Winter Term thing in stride, and it's changing the conversation in big and small ways. Not only are students doing more with their breaks, they are becoming more cultured and seeing the world with a open lens, which benefits this university as they come back and share their stories.
Winter term is changing things around here, and in the eyes of The Editorial Board, we like it.
From a writer's workshop to a Drawing and Art program in Italy to Inside Hollywood and New York, plus plenty of business-centered trips, most of Miami's winter term offerings are unique.
Give Miami students six weeks, and just wait to see all the mountain-climbing Instagram photos that show up.
This is a time to dig in and focus on one area for a few weeks, without the added stresses of being entirely in school mode. You won't be as distracted by club meetings, going Uptown or the other classes on your schedule.
It's a chance to set aside a few weeks and do something that seems impossible during the regular semester. This term really an ideal time to study abroad, because you won't miss a semester of being on campus or the coveted summer session for internships. The way we see it, Winter Term is best when students use it to do something they wouldn't normally do during the school year.
The downside to Winter Term is in the growing pains; there's a huge lack of financial aid available, making many programs inaccessible for students without those deep wallets.
For an out-of-sate student, one credit costs $1218.69 over winter term, which adds up to $3,656 for a standard three credit hour class. This number is comparable to, even a bit cheaper than, the breakdown of a course during the fall or spring. The problem is there are virtually no scholarships allotted for these winter courses. Many scholarships at Miami are set up to cover eight semesters, and don't factor in the Winter Term possibility.
And since the offering is so new, there isn't a rich history of scholarships offered for students. You know that list of financial aid options you scroll through when you first apply to Miami? That's nowhere to be found when it comes to Winter Term just yet.
So if you opt to sign up for a class or program during Winter Term, you probably end up paying a lot of money. And unless you need extra courses to graduate on schedule, it doesn't seem worth it to take a typical course during this time.
Of course, we see this problem going away in the future as more options are slated for the term and it continues to grow.
The reason this isn't an overwhelmingly big deal is the check yes or no part of Winter Term. It's optional. Students are allowed to take six weeks off the college lifestyle, no questions asked. But when the question is asked, you might want to have a made-up story ready to go because your friends did some really cool stuff.