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PCC students are heading to neighboring community colleges in order to complete credits they would have taken during the now eliminated winter intersession. The decision to get rid of winter intersession was made to help students in the summer and is now causing trouble for students looking to transfer.

In October of 2020 the Pasadena City College Board of Trustees voted 7-0 in favor of removing the winter intersession from the 2022-2025 school calendars. The decision has caused difficulty for transfer students who have had to adjust their schedules to accommodate the new calendar.

The decision was made to allow for an earlier end date of the spring semester which the board hoped would help students have more time to apply for summer internships. In replacement of the winter session, the board decided to add an additional summer session which will begin on June 27 of 2022.

“Because our current calendar ends so late into the middle of June, by the time our students finish their spring classes, many of the internship opportunities have passed, ” said PCC Superintendent and President Dr. Erika Endrijonas. 

While the significant change will benefit students seeking summer opportunities, it takes away a crucial session that many transfer students rely on. The winter session served as a cushion for students who need to make up for missing credits before college application deadlines.

First year student Lea Pardo was relying on the 2022 winter intersession to take a class required for her intended major.

“Having the winter session this year gave me an opportunity to make up for some of the courses I had to drop earlier in the year so knowing it won’t be there next year adds a lot more pressure,” Pardo said. “It’s inconvenient but I’ve planned to take a few courses at neighboring city colleges during winter to make up for the credits I need.”

For counselors, the removal of the winter session means making sure students know about it while helping them adjust their schedules if needed. 

PCC Counselor Asma Doust has begun helping students adjust their schedules to accommodate for the missing session. 

“For students who had it in their plan to take courses during the winter session, it really just means helping them fit those courses in either summer or another session,” Doust said. “But for students who needed the intersession, it means helping them find out what nearby campuses offer the courses they need.”

The change is intended to take effect for three years in order to gather enough data on its effects on students’ success. In the meantime, many students will be faced with the difficulty of trying to replace a term that they were reliant upon.

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