Chabot College used this winter break to launch something new: a four week winter intersession aimed at helping students earn credits.

Many other colleges and universities have an established winter semester, but as of Dec. 20, 2025, Chabot College has one too. Starting Dec. 20 through Jan. 17, the college geared up for an opportunity to take classes. Chabot College websites stated, “Whether you’re looking to stay on track to graduate, get ahead for the next term, lighten your future course load, or try something new, winter intersession is a great opportunity.” 

Professors who said yes to their courses to participate in winter intersessions took training and preparations to construct their courses. Ensuring everything is doable and still fitting important lessons from the fall and spring semesters. Although it is shorter and contains less content, professors designed it to ensure that the core concepts they typically teach remain present. As Professor Maryam of the Geography & Environmental Studies Departments explains, “The contents are the same. The content doesn’t change.” She also told us, “Students received a higher score, and their participation was much higher.” 

Many students found these classes helpful because they could complete the courses they needed. Professors were up to date and communicated with students to ensure they weren’t falling behind. “He would always communicate with us every week,” said Samai Castaneda, a nursing major who took an ethnic study course. Despite the short timeframe, some students learned something new and delved deeper into their majors. Jasmine Bester felt that the course really strengthened her love for music, helping her expand her knowledge and reaffirming her love of music. 

“Taking a winter intersession class can kind of help take the load off when the next semester is approaching,” said Jasmine Bester, a Music and Mass Communications major who took a world music course. 

With holidays and wanting to take a break getting in the way, many students still struggled with organizing themselves and not getting swept up in the holidays. “Having winter intersession during the holiday season can be stressful, especially for students who work or have family responsibilities,” said Kai Emerson, a 2nd-year Chabot College student. With the short time given, work piled up fast and could get overwhelming. Some students also found it difficult to grasp the material and felt it was more about memorization than learning. The challenge wasn’t the course itself, but managing yourself to take on it. 

“The concept of winter intersession classes is good, but the execution doesn’t quite work yet.” Kai said.

Dov Hassan, head of the theater program at Chabot College, expressed mixed feelings overall about the new winter intersessions. He tracked data from the winter intersessions, and students performed much better in the winter intersessions than Fall and Spring Semesters. Which he thinks is due to focusing on one class rather than a bunch. Professor Hassan isn’t fully sold on it just yet, citing concerns about the lack of in-person interactions, especially for a subject like theater. Though it seems the first try of winter intersessions went well, it begs the question, is the future of education a fully asynchronous online course?

The first run of winter classes at Chabot College had high expectations for its performance. Many students are glad they took it to get courses done, but felt uneasy during those four fast-paced weeks. While some students found them informative and the right path for them, they may not be the right fit for all students. Especially with summer courses being longer and in a less holiday-filled season. This is a learning year for Chabot College and the students. We will see how it goes as it comes around again in December.

ADVICE FROM STUDENTS WHO TOOK WINTER INTERSESSIONS

Student to Student 

“Just because the class is three weeks doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take it seriously. Being organized and not procrastinating is what helped.” – Jasmine Bester 

“I would recommend it, I would just let them know … It’s a lot” – Samai Castaneda 

“Weather I’d do it again, I would say not if I don’t have to, just take one class, so it’s more doable” – Kai Emerson