Traditionally, college students relish the opportunity to spend their winter break away from the classroom.

Whether it’s enjoying the holidays at home, vacationing with friends and family or just savoring a highly deserved winter slumber after the long fall semester, most students choose to stay away from campus.

But for students looking to complete a course they couldn’t register for in the fall semester, load up on extra units in order to get a jump-start on the transfer process, or simply use the new year as motivation to restart their academic careers, the College of the Canyons Winter Session is the perfect place to start.

The college’s 2010 Winter Session will begin Monday, January 4, and run through Saturday, February 6 — offering students access to more than 140 course sections in a wide variety of subjects and disciplines.

Of those, more than 35 sections will be offered at the college’s Canyon Country campus, providing students with a multitude of academic opportunities in subjects including English, anthropology, math, geography, psychology, communication studies, history, philosophy and sociology.

With semester-length classes being condensed into the span of about one month, the winter intersession provides a chance for students to complete more classes, in a shorter amount of time, while fulfilling course requirements needed to complete an associate or certificate degree program and/or transfer to a four-year university.

The decreased amount of student activity on campus during the winter session also creates a less crowded, and thus more convenient, setting for students to conduct business related to the pursuit of their academic goals.

“The winter session is the perfect time for students to familiarize themselves with the campus and the many support services available to them — without having to deal with the long lines and large crowds that typically mark the start of a new semester,” said Dr. Dena Maloney, founding dean of the Canyon Country campus. “I encourage all winter session students to take advantage of this time by meeting with an academic advisor, scheduling an appointment with a counselor to discuss academic and career goals and visiting the financial aid office to explore the many student aid options available to them.”

Registration for the 2010 Winter Session began November 16, and will continue through the first day of classes on January 4, 2010.

New students interested in attending winter session classes at either campus should begin the registration process by filing an application for admission, either online or in person, with the College of the Canyons Admissions Office. After an application is on file, students should send official copies of all high school and college transcripts, for all schools they have attended, to the admissions office.

Students who have not completed any college level math or English courses must then complete a pair of assessment requirements in those subjects to determine at what level of courses they will be most successful.

Additionally, it’s recommended that students who are re-entering school after a prolonged period of absence also complete the assessment requirements. However, re-entering students who have already obtained an associate or bachelor’s degree won’t need to be tested.

Students must then complete a short online orientation about the college before they will be given a registration date to begin registering for classes online.

For more information about the College of the Canyons 2010 Winter Session at the Canyon Country campus please contact (661) 362-3900. To view a class schedule and/or register for classes please visit www.canyons.edu/schedule.