Interterm weaknesses need more than an all-or-nothing solution

At some institutions, January has evolved into a mandatory mini-semester of unusual courses such as Williams College’s 4-1-4. Others offer courses, which, though required and graded, do not count toward one’s GPA. The College’s Interterm, on the other hand, has become little more than an extended vacation for the vast majority of the student body. Interterm was not always this unstructured. Before the turn of the century the College funded elective courses taught by either faculty members or up