The fall 2019 semester schedule at UC was unexpected for students because it will start on Labor Day, Sept. 2, and end Dec. 20.

With the semester’s start and end dates about a week later than normal, students talked about their upcoming fall class schedules.

“I’d rather start when we usually start instead of ending later because I like finishing earlier,” said Griffin Candee, a freshman in the construction management major.

Wishing that the semester would start and end earlier was a common sentiment among students.

“I would like to see the college start earlier, like where it started last year,” Candee said. “That was good because I was able to see my friends.”

Ann Brown is an adult student in the health studies program and she will be a first-year graduate student in the fall.

“Registration has been pretty easy for me, and that’s because I have so many transferable credits,” Brown said.

Brown said registration is not an issue for her because the number of seats in her classes are tailored to the number of graduate students in her program. However, she said that it might be different for students who are not as far along in their majors.

“It seems that the sophomores and the juniors are at a disadvantage because they are trying so hard to get everything in,” Brown said. “They are competing with the seniors trying to fill their requirements. If more sections were available it would take a lot of the stress out of it for everyone, but obviously, you need more instructors for that.”

Brown said she was listening to some students saying they need classes that maxed out after being open for registration for only one day.

“Those core courses, if they need them, they really, really need them,” Brown said. “They seem to be taking more and more summer sessions, it’s the only way they will stay on track for their programs.”

Brown said that class availability is also limited by time and space.

“Sometimes the schedules just don’t work out right, but you get that anywhere you go, sadly,” Brown said. “It’s not uncommon.”

Some students did not mind the later start.

“What’s the point of coming the week before Labor Day?” said senior Daniela Hannah, referring to last year.

For Hannah, it gives her more time to prepare for the semester.

“I work at the radio station (WPNR), and we get to come back a week early, so this will be an extra week for us to get ready for the upcoming year,” Hannah said.

Hannah said that the college should have informed the students that the fall semester will be a week later than usual.

“I don’t think Utica has even told us, like they haven’t sent an email out,” she said. “It is what it is.”

Other students are concerned about the different semester schedule.

“Starting on Labor Day — that’s kind of silly to me,” said junior John Blashke. “It’s a bad idea.”

Most students brought up the fact that the semester ends five days before Christmas.

“That’s kind of miserable,” Blashke said. “I’m not looking forward to that. It would be worse to cut a week out because we’re paying for it and we’re getting less for what we pay for.”

He said that the semester may have been structured differently to shift the fall break closer to the middle of the semester.

“It’s going to be really hectic going into my senior year,” Blashke said. “The way that the courses are spread out, I wasn’t able to get the times I wanted.”

In general, students were more satisfied with the layout of the fall 2018 semester.

“I don’t know why they would want to start later,” Candee said. “There must be a reason but I don’t know what that reason is.”

Other students are wondering the same thing.

“I’m not too happy about that,” said health studies sophomore Katrina Cornic. “I won’t get home to see my family in Iowa. I’m on the track team, so we come back early and I will have only two weeks of break.”

Cornic talked about UC’s tradition of an extended semester.

“The private schools back home get way more holidays,” she said.

Cornic wondered why UC would choose to start late in the semester and end on Dec. 20.

“Literally, Christmas for me is the Dec. 20, so I can’t go home,” Cornic said. “Usually, I fly home on the 13th and it’s cheap. This semester, I will fly home on the 20th and it will be expensive.”

Mckayfinn LaLonde is a freshman in the English major and said that UC does not take off for many holidays, including Labor Day.

“It’s kind of upsetting, but that’s OK,” LaLonde said. “I pay for an education, so at least I’m getting an education.”