Break? What break?

Stirling will cut its lengthy winter break by more than half – starting next year.

SNOW time to mess about in January now

Students will have heard about talks discussing the shortening of the winter break from its current eight weeks to something resembling other universities’ schedules.

But while rumours flew around, few realised it would happen so quickly.

Deputy Principal John Gardner broke the news in an email to all staff back in December, but has left students out of the loop on the news of their reduced break.

His email promised the winter break changes are “designed to improve the experience of students” and that any particular problems with specific subjects will be “readily addressed through appropriate action by academic schools”.

Gardner’s thrilling email also included the non-news that “the final model retains the University’s unique model of semesterisation including provision of resits after the Autumn semester.”

Official semester dates published on the university’s website indicate next year’s winter break will last just 3 weeks, with the ‘spring’ semester beginning on January 12.

Well there goes the combined refreshers/Valentines romance

That’s a whole month of extra studying compared to this year’s semester, which begins on February 10.

Iida Friman, the secretary of the International Society, told The Tab that a reduced winter break could damage students’ prospects to earn themselves some money over the holiday.

And fourth-year History & Education student Rory Nicholson is worried about the impact on preparation for final semester students. “Education students rely on the long winter break to get the bulk of their dissertation research and planning done before the very busy final semester. Shortening this could make preparing for the dissertation very challenging.”

Gardner’s email specifically acknowledged Education students’ “problematic” placement and reassured everybody he emailed that “the new design is actually considered to improve the provision for these students”.

Some feel that international students may have to reconsider going home for the holidays now that their time has been reduced. But Conn O’Neill, International & Exchange Students Officer, told The Tab: “There are many students who stay here for the long break and it makes them feel very isolated.”

A shortened winter break will lead to approximately 200% more on-campus ice-skating

O’Neill also praised the reform for allowing Stirling’s exchange students to fit in better with the timetables of other universities abroad.

The change will also mean that the mid-semester break will shift from its usual position and will now take place mid-February. Plans were made to have this new break be two weeks long, but the posted dates seem to suggest that this has been abandoned.

The university curiously still lists the 2016/2017 year as having the eight-week winter break, but it is warned that these dates are “under review”.

Are you happy with a shorter break or do you like the long winter? Let us know in the comments…