Jan Plan Options
FAQ: WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS FOR JAN PLAN?
Jan Plan is an exploratory term in January that gives students opportunities to choose among hundreds of different academic experiences. It’s a time for focused study, for interning, or for conducting research. Students are required to complete three Jan Plans, but 90% of students elect to do all four.
Click on one of the six options below to learn more about them.
Open to First Years, Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors
Courses Offered for Credit: Some are created specifically for January; others, originally designed to be offered during semesters, may be modified for January. Such courses are graded in the same manner as semester courses, except that nongraded January courses will be marked credit or fail.
Noncredit Courses: These courses fulfill the January Program requirement, but students do not earn course credit that can be applied toward the credit hours required for graduation. These courses may be offered by experts in fields not included in the regular curriculum and will be graded credit or fail.
Open to First Years, Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors
These courses require a course fee that is not included in regular tuition or covered by financial aid (although you may be eligible for limited grant funding through DavisConnects). While most options are located off-campus, either abroad or elsewhere in the U.S., some courses are conducted directly on Colby’s campus.
Students must apply for admission directly through the staff or faculty instructor in mid-September and all students will be notified by September 30, 2024 whether they are accepted, waitlisted, or denied admission. Only students that are accepted or waitlisted may apply for funding. Please see this page for offerings, info sessions dates, and instructor contact details. You may also inquire within academic departments. Enrollment, registration, and withdrawal for these courses are directly managed by instructors (the regular on-line course selection process is not available for these courses). For a complete outline of enrollment procedures and policies, please download this document.
Open to First Years, Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors
Independent studies, on or off campus, are individual projects in an area where you have demonstrated the interest and competence necessary for independent work (in most cases, only upperclassmen and/or those who have taken the appropriate coursework within their discipline will be approved to undertake them). Projects are under the direct supervision of a member of the teaching faculty.
Projects ordinarily involve the preparation of an extensive paper or other suitable indication of the student’s independent research or artistic efforts. Two options exist for electing January independent study: (a) for course credit that can be applied toward graduation requirements, to be graded as in the first item above; and (b) for January Program credit only, to be graded honors, pass, or fail. Students should meet with their faculty advisor to discuss this option.
Only pre-approved independent studies are eligible for funding. You will need to find a faculty member well before the funding deadline to help you develop and approve your project as well as agree to be your faculty supervisor for a registered independent study.
Open to First Years, Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors
Internships provide students with marketable skills, the chance to explore, and the opportunity to enhance their professional networks at an off-campus job site and monitored by an on-site work supervisor.
You may work directly with a DavisConnects career advisor to help you develop persuasive outreach skills, refine your resume, network effectively, and explore opportunities within an industry that interests you and aligns with your goals. You can make an appointment with an advisor in Handshake, which is also where you can search internship opportunities posted by organizations using the search term “Jan Plan 2025.”
An internship for Jan Plan credit requires completion of an online registration application and approval in advance by a faculty sponsor and DavisConnects. A successful Jan Plan internship will receive transcript notation and may earn, with the approval of the faculty sponsor, one academic credit.
Open to Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors
Courses taken at other accredited institutions in the U.S. and abroad, in which grades of C or higher have been earned (the courses may not be taken with pass/fail or satisfactory/unsatisfactory grading), may be credited toward the Colby degree and therefore accepted for Jan Plan credit. Students must work with their faculty advisor to submit an application for approval through the Registrar’s Office.
Open to Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors
A full description of January courses is available on myColby in October, and students select for January at that time. A student choosing not to do a January Program in any year must signify this decision during web registration.
In late September, we will provide a link to a page from the Office of the Registrar for step-by-step instructions on selecting and registering for Jan Plan (except for option 2 above).
Limited, and therefore competitive, grant funding may be available for options 2, 3, and 4 above (and in rare cases, option 5 if it takes place in an abroad setting). Please see this page for details and deadlines.
ADVISING MATERIALS FOR STUDENTS
The following resources will guide you through the various processes associated with securing a Jan Plan opportunity!
CRITICAL DATES AND DEADLINES
September 15: The application for internship registration opens. Students should wait until they have secured an internship, have spoken with a member of the teaching faculty to ask if they would be willing to be their faculty sponsor, and received a funding offer (for those who choose to apply for funding).
September 16 – 27: Info sessions and applications for off-campus or fee-based on-campus courses are will be listed and available.
September 30: By this date, instructors will let students know whether their application for admission into off-campus courses or fee-based on-campus courses have been accepted, waitlisted, or declined. The application for funding will be also be open on this date. Accepted and waitlisted students should let the instructor know that they plan to commit to their course only and will not be pursuing multiple courses enrollments.
October 6: The funding application for off-campus courses or fee-based on-campus courses closes at 11:59 PM.
October 7: The funding application for funding for internships, independent studies, and programs opens.
October 16: Award notifications for off-campus courses or fee-based on-campus courses are sent to applicants.
October 17: The funding application for internships, independent studies, and programs closes at 11:59 PM.
October 18: For students that owe $500 or more of the course fee for off-campus courses or fee-based on-campus courses, a $500 deposit is due to Student Financial Services. Those that are offered funding for the entire course fee must click “Accept” or “Decline” on their offer letters, which will serve as their deposit.
October 19 – 23: Students on the waitlist for off-campus courses or fee-based on-campus courses will be notified if others students decline admission. Those that decline will be responsible for their $500 deposit, including funded students. On October 23, course waitlists are closed and all registered students are committed to participation in the course. Students that are self-pay will be responsible for 100% of the course cost and will not receive any refunds (except in case-by-case situations). Funded students who withdraw will be responsible for a $500 balance on their student tuition account and will also forfeit a future funding opportunity at DavisConnects.
October 21 – 25: Course selection for Jan Plan is available on myColby.
October 31: Award notifications for internships, independent studies, and program are sent to applicants.
November 19: The internship registration application closes for First Year students.
December 6: Fund disbursement requirements (the “Post-Acceptance” application) for those offered funding for internships, independent studies, and programs is due. Students participating in off-campus courses abroad must also upload al risk and health forms by this date.
December 9: The internship registration application closes for Sophomore, Juniors, and Seniors.
January 7: First day of Jan Plan.
January 9: Last day to add for Jan Plan.
January 13: Last day to drop for Jan Plan; Last day to declare or revoke Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grading option; Last day to increase credit in variable-credit program.
January 30: Last day of Jan Plan.
February 1: For those participating in internships, materials are due to their faculty sponsor.
February 12: Last day for faculty sponsors to award credit to those participating in internships.
HOUSING DURING JAN PLAN
To live on campus and be eligible to participate in intercollegiate athletics, campus organizations, or other co-curricular campus events during January, students must be enrolled in a Jan Plan course, local internship (non-remote), or independent research that requires Colby resources and materials. Please contact 207.859.4280 or housing@colby.edu for more information.