While Interim offers opportunities for students to study abroad, this article highlights student comments on some memorable on-campus Interims from this January as well as a few from years past. Interim’s unique and non-traditional academic atmosphere allows for a wide range of studies during the month, from perfecting the Tango to studying the logic behind popular game shows.

Whether you’re returning from abroad or wondering what other Terriers have been up to this past month, this brief (and by no means exhaustive) list can help catch you up. If you’ve got an Interim story to share, tweet at us (@OldGandB)!

Game Shows: “We played ‘The Price Is Right’ just about every day and other game shows such as Jeopardy. We also worked on probability and stats… and the odds of winning the game. [Ben Ingram ‘05] told us about his run on ‘Jeopardy!’ and his win on the Jeopardy Tournament of Champions against tough opponents. Our game show, ‘The Pyramid of Power’ was great. Many contestants won fabulous prizes. There were many funny moments during the show, and we also had a lot of people come out to support [the Humane Society].” -Spencer Collins ‘16

“It was great fun. Those students are sharp. We played a mock game, and they were the only ones to get Final right. It was a great idea for an Interim and executed well. I wish I could have taken it.” –Ben Ingram ‘05

Geekology: “We covered all the basic subjects of ‘geekiness,’ including card games (Magic: the Gathering), TV shows (Big Bang Theory, Star Trek, Doctor Who, etc.), books (The Hobbit) and short stories (Bicentennial Man), anime, movies (The Prin- cess Bride, Star Wars, Jumanji), action figures and comic books. My favorite part was probably getting to have a full-blown cosplay on the last day.” –Catherine Eason ‘16

Latin Dance: “We learned about the various dances from Cuba, the Dominican and other Latin American countries. We had a final competition in which we competed in Salsa, Bachata, Merengue, Tango… it was awesome!” – Cole McCarty ‘17

Figure Drawing: “When I took the class I was nervous about drawing nude figures. But it turned out that art allowed me to use something I love to conquer an uncomfortable situation. In the end, all of us enjoyed it!” –Meghan Tillmann –‘17

“I didn’t realize how much there was to learn about drawing, and this was a very fulfilling Interim.” –Rachel Chalmers ‘16

Body Language: “Nonverbal communication was a course with so much more to offer than what was just on the tin. We covered a multitude of things ranging from how to express confidence and authority to catching liars or potential suitors! All in all, the course was phenomenal.” –Kyle Murdock ‘17

Criminalistics: “We watched documentaries about different aspects of forensic science. The topics included fingerprinting, blood spatter and bite mark analysis, the JFK assassination, as well as the proper qualifications of forensic scientists. I discovered that I’m really bad at taking fingerprints, but forensic science is such an interesting topic. I really enjoyed the class.” –Kate Gibson ‘17

Sewing: “My patience was hanging by a thread during this Interim. Sewing is way more difficult than it seems. I’m glad that I was able to take a class on it; oth- erwise I don’t think I ever could have learned how!” –Kirsten Frost ‘15

Rubik’s Cube: “One of my favorite Interims was on the Rubik’s cube. We came up with a way to solve it and learned the mathematics behind it. We had to solve it in less than five minutes to pass. My roommate took his apart and greased it up with hair gel, and he solved it in something like 40 seconds.” –Ingram ‘05

Pulp Theatre: “Though putting on a show in 20 days is difficult under any circumstances, I really enjoyed being a part of the Pulp Theatre Interim and putting on the production, “Once Upon a Mattress.” The cast was so supportive and like one big family that I got to hang out with every day.” –Rebecca McGregor ‘17