By Alicia Nemiccolo-MacLeay '97

When I was a student at Colby there was a T-shirt that said, "Jan Plan . . . The Way Life Should Be." This take on the Maine slogan captures the attitude of Jan Plan, a chance to explore new areas and gain greater insights. It is a month filled with possibilities.

Colby still offers courses unique to Jan Plan-woodworking, black-smithing and EMT training-and many students pursue internships or independent projects. But, continuing a trend towards more credited courses, this year's classes included Introduction to Astrophysics, Japanese and Principles of Macroeconomics.

I reentered the classroom this January on a mission to learn macroeconomics in a month. A week before our first class I received an e-mail warning from Michael Donihue '79, associate professor of economics. Students were told to know chapters one through six before we met. After that, the class would cover a chapter a day, with a daily quiz thrown in for good measure. At that pace you have to understand each day's lesson to keep up.

While many students take Jan Plan classes outside of their disciplines, that trend doesn't seem to reach into macroeconomics. Virtually everyone in the class was, or intended to become, an economics or international studies major, for whom the course is a requirement.

Donihue recalls his own Jan Plans as a Colby student as a chance to try something different outside of his major. "I am opposed to teaching this class," he said, half-joking the first day. He believes students are responding to the increased number of courses offered for credit during Jan Plan. "Most are anxious to get on with their studies in either economics or some other major and want to get this course out of the way," he said.

This was Donihue's first time teaching macroeconomics during Jan Plan. While the material is the same as the semester-long version, the time frame has advantages and disadvantages. The students, almost without exception, are highly motivated, "which was a real benefit from my perspective," Donihue said later. "They self-selected themselves in." Since the Jan Plan version requires microeconomics as a prerequisite, students already have committed to the subject and others have been weeded out.

The speed and intensity have some drawbacks, though, including a lack of time to deal with current events, unfortunate in an election year. "However, the students are mine for the month," said Donihue. "In theory they can't claim other priorities beyond macroeconomics."

Every day was a learning cycle. I had a triumphant feeling of insight in class as I understood the consequences of monetary and fiscal policies, unemployment and inflation. Then I read a new chapter at night and I was ignorant again. One night a newscaster announced a monetary policy change by the Fed. I spent 10 minutes enthusiastically explaining to my husband how interest rates and the money supply are changed.

Not only did I learn about important concepts-the money supply and economic growth-but the course also sharpened my math skills. The night before the final I calculated what grade I needed to get an A. After the exam I came home and calculated what grade I needed to pass the course, which I did. And I came away with a deeper appreciation for Jan Plan and proof that macroeconomics can be grasped in a month, if you're committed.

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