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As the fall 2020 semester comes to an end, we’re all looking forward to enjoying our winter break. However, as much as we are excited for next semester, many of us are still questioning whether it is safe to return to campus and the city. Although it is ultimately your own decision, here are some questions to consider while you prepare for next semester.

The registration process can be overwhelming and stressful. From figuring out your registration time to navigating CULPA reviews, waitlists, and conflicting classes, it is challenging to create a schedule with no obstacles. As registration approaches and you scroll through the course catalog, keep in mind that Columbia and Barnard have added intensive courses with alternative schedules. For those of you who want to finish a course before the semester ends, block classes are a perfect solution. As opposed to a standard 12-week schedule, intensive classes are in two six-week blocks for both the fall and spring semesters. Block courses meet more frequently than semester-long courses, allowing students to take fewer classes at a time. We asked a few students about their experience with fall A and B courses to help you decide whether spring A and B courses are right for you.

As Columbia students prepared for another virtual semester in the midst of a global pandemic, many in California shouldered an extra burden: destructive, all-consuming wildfires that have ravaged over four million acres of land since the beginning of the year. And while natural disasters have turned innumerable lives upside down in the past year, wildfires have made an already confusing first year of college even more so for the class of 2024.

Although the first week of classes is over, you may still be looking for a course that will make fall 2020 as engaging as possible. With the shopping period fully underway, Spectrum presents our top picks for courses at Columbia and Barnard.

It is time we hold the administration of the School of General Studies to its word. If administrators truly mean that their primary goal is to make General Studies as affordable as possible, they must change their transfer credit policy to accept online classes from other accredited colleges and universities. It would save General Studies students tens of thousands of dollars in student debt.

A little over a month ago, film student Hayat Aljowaily, GS ’20, was preparing to screen her short film at the University Life Film Showcase, an event exhibiting eight short films from student filmmakers. But as COVID-19 cases began to rise in New York, the showcase was canceled, and shortly after, Columbia announced the cancellation of in-person classes.

For many students, the transition to taking classes online on Zoom has upturned what it means to be at a university. Many op-eds and columns have been written about the negative impacts of the coronavirus outbreak—be that personal loss, stress about job security, or a generalized feeling of loneliness. The pandemic has deeply impacted how students interact with each other, both in and outside the classroom.

Is cabin fever starting to settle in? Do not worry! Spectrum has comprised a list of free online resources that can help you continue doing the activities you love while keeping your community safe.

I hear a knock on my door—quiet at first, then growing louder. The doorknob twists, but I had locked it to prevent any unwanted intrusions.