Jumpstart College with Middlesex Community College’s WinterSessi

“Middlesex Community College’s First Year Experience (FYE) courses allow students to earn a general education college credit while maximizing student success skills,” said Paulo Barrio, MCC’s Chair of Human Services.

Part of the college’s Spring 2022 semester, MCC’s WinterSession courses cover the same content, maintain the same academic standards, and contain the same number of instructional hours as courses scheduled in the traditional 15-week semester.

Students can jumpstart their Middlesex experience – and the Spring 2022 semester – by taking FYE Interdisciplinary Studies (IDS) seminars during WinterSession. MCC’s IDS courses combine orientation experiences with classroom knowledge to provide students with the tools they need to be successful at the college level.

“We build on our academic and career plans, engage with one another, and have the opportunity to connect with resources that we might often just overlook because it’s foreign and scary,” Barrio said. “We spend two, full days together, but the experience carries over into the full semester and beyond.”

Some of the benefits of taking the seminar during WinterSession for students include keeping their study skills active over the break, catching up on classes, and increasing their GPA, according to Karen James, MCC’s Assistant Director of Career Services.

James is the instructor of Middlesex’s one-credit Career Exploration course that allows students to focus on the topic without the distraction of other courses and activities on campus. Part of the course will include career mapping and organization research to form a “real-world perspective on current jobs and the requirements needed to achieve them,” James said.

“This course will introduce students to the main components of identifying a major aligned with a career path through self-assessment,” she said. “Students will explore their work interests, personality, skills, values and life goals in order to find purpose in their academic curriculum.”

From preparing for college classes to gaining a better sense of future career plans, MCC’s FYE IDS courses also help students become a part of the Middlesex community while teaching them skills and habits they need to reach their goals.

The seminars are a valuable opportunity to meet faculty and staff in different areas of the college. This helps students gain a better sense of what academic and support resources are available to them at Middlesex. This includes a faculty member in Barrio, a career services representative in James, and MCC’s Director of Student Engagement, Steven Rossi.

Rossi is teaching a Leadership seminar course during the 2022 WinterSession. During the course, students will learn about the concepts of leadership that are practical and applicable to all fields, positions and roles on campus and beyond.

“In the WinterSession Leadership seminar, students will learn about fundamental leadership concepts, and reflect upon how to incorporate these concepts into their life and professional careers,” Rossi said. “Students will gain practical experience with these skills as they progress through the seminar.”

Financial aid is available to qualifying students during MCC’s WinterSession. Visit www.middlesex.mass.edu/financialaid/ for more information and to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Please note that Middlesex requires all students to be vaccinated in order to come to campus, as of January 2022. Students who are unvaccinated can still choose to take online classes and access online resources and student support services.

MCC’s WinterSession starts on Monday, January 3. The traditional 15-week semester starts on Monday, January 24, including Mini-mester I – an accelerated eight-week session. Students will have another chance to take classes with MCC’s Mini-mester II, starting on Monday, March 28.

For more information and to register for classes, visit www.middlesex.mass.edu/registration/ or call 1-800-818-3434.

Discover your path at Middlesex Community College. As one of the largest, most comprehensive community colleges in Massachusetts, MCC has been a proven leader in education for more than 50 years. Middlesex puts the student first. Meeting each learner where they are, MCC provides them with a safe, welcoming and engaging place to learn. Offering more than 80 degree and certificate programs – plus hundreds of noncredit courses – Middlesex features flexible course formats and a variety of award-winning student support services and resources. Student success starts at MCC!