Exonians React to New Winter Schedule

By ALEX LIM, ADELLE PITTS, KEVIN THANT, and MELIA THIBAULT

Many students were shocked upon first opening their winter term schedules on myExeter. The infamous 70 minute long block had been shortened to 60 minutes, and the beloved 40 minute short block had disappeared entirely—changes reminiscent of last spring’s pilot schedule. 

“I think the new schedule makes planning classes a little bit easier,” remarked Instructor in Art Adam Hosmer. “Short blocks were very difficult to plan around, and as an art teacher I prefer to have longer classes.” 

However, Hosmer, along with many other teachers, shared that he actually finds more of an issue with the ever-changing schedule than the newest iteration of the schedule itself: “In some way, every schedule is a compromise, right? It’s such a huge institution that there’s no perfect schedule for everybody. I think we need to hope that everybody agrees to a compromise and go forward with it because I’d rather have one schedule than a constantly changing one.”

Lauren Josef, chair of the Theatre and Dance Department, agreed, saying, “I’m always rooting for consistency. I think it’s really hard to find the perfect schedule at a school like this, where everyone is doing different things. But I think being able to rely on a schedule that is consistent throughout the year and for years to come would be the ideal system.”

In terms of how the schedule affected her teaching, Josef said, “My teaching schedule hasn’t been incredibly affected because I am primarily directing the musical and the rest of my schedule is a little more flexible.” 

Instructor in Science A.J. Cosgrove agreed, adding, “I don’t usually use long blocks so it doesn’t impact me. 70 minute tests would be nice but the new schedule just makes me give more 50 minute tests instead.”  

When asked about improvements that could be made, many of the faculty put an emphasis on student well-being. Hosmer explained, “The only suggestion I would have is to acknowledge the reality of students’ needs, like sleep schedules, while also taking into account all the different extracurriculars and sports they have.”

Cosgrove emphasized the point on sports, saying, “They should do whatever they can to get athletics at the end of the day.” 

Prep Anna Osadchaya explained how the new schedule feels more uniform and consistent. “I think class is more focused, and I don’t have to spend a lot of time wondering how long my next class will be.”

“I think that shortening the long blocks has made my schedule better,” added lower Hugo Shinn. “I struggle a lot with sitting in a class for more than an hour, and I think that the 60-minute long block has really helped me stay much more focused in class and made the material much easier to kind of digest.” 

“I miss the short blocks, but I’m also glad the long blocks are not as long. I think that’s the general sentiment of students,” said senior Mason Cotter.

Regarding dining queues, students have recognized both benefits and drawbacks caused by the new schedule. While everyone sharing one lunch block makes the lines feel more crowded, it also gives students more flexibility in choosing who to sit with. 

“Both lines were packed in the new dining hall during Friday lunch, so I went to Elm thinking it would be empty, but it was packed there as well,” lower Dani Méndez recounted. “So I didn’t get to eat from the hot line, which was a bit disappointing. There are students everywhere, especially since there’s only one lunch block.”

“The one thing I really hated about last term’s schedule is the fact that everybody had different lunch blocks. But it’s nice having everybody in one big lunch block so you can actually choose who you want to have lunch with instead of just being forced to go with the person that you know has the same lunch block as you.” said lower Victor Angeline. 

“A lot of people are going to the new dining hall because it just opened, and the food is amazing,” added lower Maya Hinrichsen. “It’s hard because the new dining hall only has two lines and people really gravitate towards one of them. But, otherwise it’s nice. I think that the new schedule is kind of adapting to having two dining halls.” 

Despite these positive changes, there have also been grievances about winter term and this new schedule. Angeline commented on the overall drain of the term, saying, “Just to find the emotional, physical, and mental energy to deal with with class at 4:45 p.m. when I woke up at 7:00 a.m. and when I went to bed at like 12:00 p.m. kind of wears down on you both mentally and physically.” He goes on to say, “I can’t find the time to dedicate myself to my clubs anymore. I also can’t really find the time to dedicate myself to each class and my homework.” 

Méndez agreed, adding, “I have no free formats, besides the reserve for B for BU. So sometimes I’ll have seven classes a day and they’re all pretty long. I definitely don’t have as much free time, but I am trying to make the best of it because it’s winter term and ultimately it’s about connecting with people.”

As students soon descend into the winter months of January and February in what is often called “the trenches,” the new schedule seems to provide more consistency into our students’ lives. The main problem students face with the schedule is not around the changes made to long block and short block but the dreadful and mundane nature and winter term.