Luis Rodriguez
Registration is now open for the upcoming Winter Session classes offered by SDSU’s College of Extended Studies. These intersession classes take place during the winter break between the Fall and Spring semesters (Dec. 19 – Jan. 15, 2020). All courses are offered online to allow students who are traveling or home for the holidays to attend. Students looking to lighten their course load for their degree program or complete a general education course can take advantage of these online courses and earn up to three credits. Luis Rodriguez, a double major in Spanish and Business Management, enrolled in last year’s winter session and was able to complete a prerequisite course for his major. Read more about Luis’ experience with Winter Session; interested students can learn more and register for Winter Session 2020.
What is your name, major, and the name of the Winter Session course you completed?
My name is Luis A. Rodriguez. I am currently a double major in Spanish and Business Management with an emphasis on Human Resources and double minors in Leadership Development and Honors Interdisciplinary Studies. Over the Winter Session, I completed the fully-online Financial Accounting course with David Deboskey.
How did you hear about Winter Session 2019 and what made you decide to enroll in the session?
I heard about Winter Session 2019 from emails and Blackboard announcements. I decided to enroll in the class after declaring my second major in HR last semester. I learned from the Management Major advisor that I had to complete several prerequisites before I started any management classes. I could not afford to delay my scheduled graduation as an undergraduate student, so I pressured myself into paying for it out of my pocket despite hearing how challenging intersession classes are, especially for my first-ever accounting course.
How did you manage your time in such an accelerated course?
My time was split between my part-time job on campus, my commute back home, and my time to focus on my class. I tried to save all my evenings for my accounting homework since we had several assignments due every night and projects due every weekend as the course was only 16 days long. My weekends were occupied with studying and homework assignments that were due at midnight. The tests were monitored online, and I would lock myself in my room while I took my tests.
What did you like most about the Winter Session program?
What I liked most about the Winter Session program was how fast the session was and how responsive my professor was. The course was only 16 days long, so it was over before I knew it, and that saved a lot of time compared to taking the same class for a full semester. My professor was always on the lookout as it was the first time he was the professor for an accelerated pace class, and he was very responsive to all of the students’ emails and Zoom conferences.
If you could share one thing with a student considering enrolling, what would it be?
I would suggest making friends in the class so you can help each other while studying or completing homework assignments. Taking a course during such a short amount of time is challenging but rewarding. It is also very time-consuming as it takes a significant number of hours to catch up on the material, so try not to get behind on assignments and give yourself a lot of time to complete all the required assignments.
Anything else you’d like to add about Winter Session 2019?
I think the Winter Session 2019 was a great initiative to help students graduate or move ahead in their course schedules. Still, it’s something to think hard about because it is stressful to see so many assignments that are due in such a short time. Winter Session also offers more flexibility when planning your schedule as it gives students the chance to take other classes during the summer to catch up or get ahead on their career and graduate early or on time.
