With the deadline to enroll in intersession classes fast approaching, students looking to earn credit hours during winter break are scrambling to find funds to pay fees and tuition.

There are no financial aid opportunities or scholarships specifically designed for students who wish to take intersession classes, said Mark Pelfrey, intersession coordinator.

Charles Welsey, film and video studies junior, said he has asked his parents to pay for a winter intersession class this year as a Christmas present.

"I pay for school with student loans," he said. "There is no way I could afford intersession on my own."

Shelby Nguyen, engineering sophomore, said she could not afford to take an intersession class even if she wanted to.

"I want to have a break and relax, but my scholarships and financial aid would not pay for intersession anyway," Nguyen said.

Pelfrey said OU is offering a wide variety of courses during winter break that students might not otherwise have the opportunity to take.

"The course numbers are the same as those offered during the regular semester, but professors often vary the course material and include material they don't teach during other terms," Pelfrey said.

Students who don't have the money to pay for intersession classes might be missing out on opportunities to take a unique course only offered during intersession, Pelfrey said.

"Federal financial aid does not recognize intersession as a term because not all schools have intersession," he said.

Winter intersession offerings this year include opportunities for students to travel abroad, Pelfrey said. Students can take a trip to Singapore and Hong Kong to learn about the advertising industry in Asia, or they can take a zoology course in Mexico.

No scholarships or financial aid are available for these travel courses, Pelfrey said, but non-resident students get a break on out-of-state tuition.

Other unique intersession classes include an art workshop on lighting and a course on feminist psychology.

Pelfrey said he would like to see OU provide a few scholarships for intersession classes in the future.

Offering scholarships for intersession courses is easier said than done, said Pam McConahay, associate director of Compliance, Training and Lender Relations at OU.

"Scholarships are usually offered in the form of tuition waivers," McConahay said. "Intersession classes are dependent on money from the students who enroll in the courses. If too few students enroll, the course is canceled."

Bradley Burnett, director of OU Financial Aid Services, said it is rare for a school to offer scholarships for a specific term, such as intersession.

"Most scholarships are based on need or merit," Burnett said.

McConahay said financial aid does not cover intersession classes because the courses only last a week or two.

"We determine cost of living expenses into financial aid for each student every semester," she said. "There is no way to calculate the cost of living for such a short period of time."

McConahay suggested students save part of their financial aid award from the fall semester to help pay for intersession.

The last day to enroll in intersession classes is Dec. 18. The term runs from Dec. 20 to Jan. 15, according to intersession.ou.edu.
hello there & you too