Interterm, like many things Amherst, is awkward. It's a month-long period of vacation. Since a month is not long enough to either get hired for a job or a serious internship, unless you happen to be one of the lucky Winternship receivers, or to have an actual academic semester, interterm sticks out in the academic school year like an unproductive thumb.

This month-long lull in the lives of usually super-active Amherst students has become frustrating for many. If they do wish to take classes, they can't do so for credit and they have to pay for the class themselves, even if the course is offered at one of the Five Colleges.

Many students are unaware of this and plan to take courses, but I have tread before you through the maze of the Five College registrars' confusion. The word on the street is that Amherst students cannot take courses at the other colleges because Amherst doesn't offer credited courses over interterm, and we are definitely missing out.

The courses offered during Interterm are diverse, stimulating and in many respects more rewarding than those available during our regular semester. The month allows students to fully focus on one subject. For example, Hampshire offers Spanish language immersion courses that last the entire day and propel students ahead a level, while Smith offers the same type of course in French. However, when I contacted the Smith registrar's office, I was told that Smith was not accepting Amherst students.

There are a few quirky classes during Interterm, like winter dog sledding at Mt. Holyoke and the Mathematics of Knitted Objects at Smith College, no knitting experience required. Still, if you don't want to learn about knitting or brush up on your language skills, you could take a Trigonometry class, or even yoga. The point is, between the participating colleges there are numerous course options.

The problem with the Interterm program at Amherst is that there are not very many options, and by eliminating ourselves from the Five College system, we are missing out on a wide selection of courses. To be honest, I don't feel like learning about Microsoft Word or how to respond in wilderness emergencies. Some may, but the majority of Amherst students may find the month of January to be more of a waste than a respite.

My advice to Amherst College is to join the Five College system, but more immediately, I advise students to volunteer over Interterm. The Center for Community Engagement can step up during a time like this to provide Amherst students with a list of volunteering opportunities in the area, as well as vans for transport. We have a gap of time available with no academic responsibilities in which we can help others. Why not make ourselves useful, even if Interterm isn't?