My best Winter Study was the one I spent off campus. Crazy, right? The only Winter Study, so valued and loved by most Williams students, that I have enjoyed was this year's experience at home. Why?

Before I came to Williams, I had been repeatedly told and convinced that Winter Study would be the best time of the year. One class pass/fail, plenty of free time to sleep, hang out with friends, ski, snowboard, and do basically all of the activities I have always wanted to try but not had the time to...sounds perfect, right?

My freshman year, I took a class that met three afternoons per week, and worked in one of my favorite professor's labs in my spare time. On top of that, I took a PE class to fulfill the credit, joined another club, and packed my evenings with shows, parties, and quality time with friends. I felt like I had to have the "perfect" Winter Study, so I took on as many things as I could. I had to get the most out of that month. But by taking on so much, I became stressed and overwhelmed rather than happy with my January. At the end, I was exhausted and burnt out rather than thrilled with my experience. Dead Week could not have come sooner.

My sophomore year, I had a different strategy. I dropped some of my previous activities and clubs, and took on some new ones during the month. The rest of my time was spent sleeping, with friends, or the occasional venture to Jiminy Peak. But I took a class that met five mornings per week. Although the class was interesting, it met more frequently than I would have preferred, and required a significant amount of time outside of the classroom for preparation, papers, and extra projects. My Winter Study was consumed by stress, both related to the class and to my personal life. Thus, another January bit the dust.

My junior year, I went off campus. I decided to shadow a physician near my home for the month. As a premedical student, this was a fascinating Winter Study project, because my experience will influence my future career, and I enjoyed the 25 hours per week I spent in a clinical setting. There was work to do outside of the shadowing as well, but it did not overwhelm me or consume all of my free time. In addition, although I was away from my Williams friends, I got to see friends back home, eat home cooked meals, and see my family every day. Those experiences were priceless.

I guess that my positive experience was mostly shaped by my passion, the environment I was in, and my lower level of stress. I still have one more Winter Study, so I will keep these factors in mind when this time of the year comes around again. But at least I can finally say those four words that I have heard others say hundreds of times: I love Winter Study.