NECC Observer

The student news website of Northern Essex Community College, Haverhill and Lawrence, Mass.

A Look at NECC’s Spring Semester

Another spring semester comes to a close on both NECC campuses.

There have been many successes, events, causes and sporting events that have been going on between the Lawrence and Haverhill campuses. The beginning of the semester was rocky because of the semester due to the unpredictable and what seemed to be never ending snow.

For most students and this semester, the consistency of snowstorms throughout the month of February were disruptive to their class schedules. Classes that would normally meet on the Monday, Wednesday and Friday schedule did not have many Monday classes in the beginning of the semester.

Also, Tuesday and Thursday classes were affected only meeting twice a week, some Tuesday classes either had cancellations or the campus all together was shut down.

Instructors had to change around their lesson plans to format the rest of the semester.
To make up for lost class time, some have had to cancel out some topics they planned to teach.
Other instructors may have had to attempt to squeeze together what was supposed to be learned on the lost days.

The snow caused the closure of both campuses, delays in classes, crammed schedules and difficulty managing an extra workload in some courses.

“In the middle of this crazy winter, I actually looked forward to getting out of the house and going to school,” said NECC business transfer student Hannah Latham.

Many students commented about the impact the snow has made on their spring semester class work.

“I had classes rescheduled, and we tried to cram in what we could every class. It was a game of catch up all semester,” said NECC Health and Wellness student Marjorie Vaccaro.

As the semester continued into the late winter and early spring months, NECC was lively as ever.

Early in the semester on February 25, guest speakers David Forsberg, Governor Charlie Baker’s campaign manager, and Charlie Baker III, a Democratic campaign strategist visited NECC’s Haverhill Campus. Each discussed and spoke about how to have a successful campaign and winning an election.

More recently on May 1, there was a surprise visit by Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren on the Lawrence Campus. Senator Warren spoke to students a part of the PACE Program funded by a TRiO grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

Also, “College for a Day” on April 15 as well as Spring Jam were widely successful.

A large amount of possible students attended the event, as well as current students.

Many participants were checking out the events hosted by the Student Engagement Center and Student Life on the quad for Spring Jam.

Currently, it may be crunch time for assignments and studying for exams for students.
That last project, paper or presentation has to be submitted this week before grades close.
Also, if the instructor or professor offers, extra credit assignments for that extra boost in a grade are due.

Students reflected on how they think they did overall this semester.

For some students. their final average could be unknown — some keep track of their grades, and others just go along with the course.

“Overall, this semester has been really good. I liked the fact that they were able to accommodate me with my schedule. I can work and go to school which not a lot of students do,” said Latham.

Another student commented on his overall grades for the spring semester.
“I think I did pretty well. I struggled with a couple classes. About 3 out of the 5 could be A’s or B’s. I’m not sure,” said NECC Communication student Matt Couture.

NECC offers a variety of summer courses to help students lighten their load for an upcoming semester or complete their degree more quickly.

Registration is taking place now for Summer classes.

Courses are open to NECC students as well as to students from other colleges who are home for the summer.

“I am taking two online classes this summer. I’m behind two courses and I’m using them to catch up,” said Couture.

Many students who attend NECC take advantage of the summer classes offered on both campuses because of its convenience and can be beneficial to some students.

“I might take an online course this summer, to get ahead,” said Vaccaro.

Also, now is the time for current students to register for Fall classes and to complete financial aid paperwork (if it is needed).

Registering for classes and completing financial aid paperwork before leaving for the semester may make for a less stressful summer.

For more information or to register for classes contact NECC Enrollment Services at (978) 556-3700 or email them at admissions@necc.mass.edu.

Interested students can also drop by the One-Stop in Haverhill or Lawrence during their walk-in hours: Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Friday from noon to 4:30 p.m.