This past winter break, I went to SMU’s campus in Taos, New Mexico and completed a January Term class. A Jan-Term class is basically a condensed class completed within 8 class days before the spring semester starts. You can complete up to 4 credit hours at SMU’s Dallas or Taos campus. I chose to take a 3 credit hour class being held on the Taos campus.
My friends and I thought that it would be fun to road trip to Taos (Taos is about a14 hour drive from Dallas). We were not wrong about our predictions! We ended up staying one night in Santa Fe, and were able to check out some cool restaurants and attractions there before heading to Taos.
When we arrived at Taos, I was pleasantly surprised to find nice facilities. Taos is a gorgeous campus surrounded by snow and trees. Unlike Dallas, the Taos campus was a winter wonderland! Plus, the food was incredible. The dining hall was stocked with snacks 24 hours a day, on top of the three great meals per day. I think the best part was that the kitchen had a stocked ice cream freezer filled with Snickers ice cream bars.
In Taos we spent about 6 hours a day in class. It was a lot of information given within a short period of time, but my professor did a great job making sure that our class of four students all understood the information well. After class every day, my friends and I had time to explore Taos, go skiing, or some nights stay up late studying. Whatever we ended up doing, it was a lot of fun getting to hang out with my friends while also receiving credit hours in such a cool place.
I am so glad I got to Taos!
-James Jang
