First problem, your date parameters.  They are char(80 and should be date, or datetime, or datetime2.  You shouldn't be converting date values in your tables to character string for comparison...

I have been contacted for both contract and full time positions.  Recruiters are typically driven by the clients needs and some clients want a try before they buy.  It is...

First, ask yourself, could I solve the problem if all I have is what you have given us.  Remember, we don't know what you are trying to accomplish, we don't...

Comes down to using the right tool for the job.

Something like this perhaps:

if object_id('[dbo].[students]','U') is not null
drop table [dbo].[students];

create table [dbo].[students]
(
  [Year] int
, [Course] varchar(50)