Quarter system

[Anonymous]

What do your kids think of the quarter system at places like UCLA, Stanford, Northwestern, UChicago, Union College, etc?

Con: fast paced, so assessments come up quickly. Schedules not great for summer internships. Can’t study abroad at other programs easily.

Pro: more classes absorbs a low grade in to GPA more easily. More classes allow opportunities to try out different subjects. Easier to double major. Get out of a bad class more quickly.

[Anonymous]

I went to NU and that list is pretty spot on. The awkwardness of starting late and having an early winter break can go either pro or con.

You really can't wait to sort out a summer internship or job, it has to be done well before summer break because it's too late by then. I 100% had quarters where I had exams literally ever week (Winter quarter being the most jammed). But I did get to try a lot of subjects and did a double major.

[Anonymous]

For me a big “pro” was fewer courses at a time, which allowed me to focus more intently on each class. That will be a “con” for others.

[Anonymous]

Quarter/Trimester system is superior to semester system because there is far less wasted time.

Agree that start dates & summer break difference as compared to the more common semester system can be challenging in some circumstances such as internship start dates.

[Anonymous]

The quarter/trimester system can also be advantageous because it can open up time during the school year, when the kids can do internships that the kids who are on semesters aren’t available.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The quarter/trimester system can also be advantageous because it can open up time during the school year, when the kids can do internships that the kids who are on semesters aren’t available.

Chicago claims that kids have no trouble getting internships on the quarter system. I'll post back in 3 years and let you know if that's true (joking aside, DS has 3 friends there who have not had difficulty getting great internships)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The quarter/trimester system can also be advantageous because it can open up time during the school year, when the kids can do internships that the kids who are on semesters aren’t available.

Chicago claims that kids have no trouble getting internships on the quarter system. I'll post back in 3 years and let you know if that's true (joking aside, DS has 3 friends there who have not had difficulty getting great internships)

Anecdotal obviously but I know one Chicago student with an internship/job at Goldman, and this was a test optional admit. Just fyi.

[Anonymous]

Not a good match for my dyslexic kid.

[Anonymous]

I went to Dartmouth, which is on the quarter system. I loved the quarter system as I only took 3 classes at a time. Also loved begin finished with fall papers/finals in early December and being able to have a real winter break (some semester schools have exams in January). At Dartmouth, internships were easy to get. I interned on Wall street for winter quarter and I had zero business knowledge or background and hadn't even taken one econ class in college. I knew people who got other coveted internships like interning at the white house during the school year as well. Another plus is that people don't like to miss out on too much on campus, but if you spend one quarter studying abroad, you miss out on only 1/3rd of the school year but get 10 weeks in a different country, so for me it was a win-win. Like the poster above, I was also able to try lots of different courses and double major.

[Anonymous]

I found it a very fast pace at Dartmouth. But as a procrastinator, it really helped me stay on track.
Dartmouth runs its own study abroad programs, so the quarter system there actually makes it easier to study abroad as you don’t have to do full semester. But you can also choose more than one quarter program.
I believe Carleton also has its own programs and that both schools have high rates of study abroad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to Dartmouth, which is on the quarter system. I loved the quarter system as I only took 3 classes at a time. Also loved begin finished with fall papers/finals in early December and being able to have a real winter break (some semester schools have exams in January). At Dartmouth, internships were easy to get. I interned on Wall street for winter quarter and I had zero business knowledge or background and hadn't even taken one econ class in college. I knew people who got other coveted internships like interning at the white house during the school year as well. Another plus is that people don't like to miss out on too much on campus, but if you spend one quarter studying abroad, you miss out on only 1/3rd of the school year but get 10 weeks in a different country, so for me it was a win-win. Like the poster above, I was also able to try lots of different courses and double major.

Agree. I also was a double major, studied abroad, and had a very choice internship during my fall leave term.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For me a big “pro” was fewer courses at a time, which allowed me to focus more intently on each class. That will be a “con” for others.

That's the biggest pro for my ADHD kid who goes to WPI, where you take 3 classes at a time for 7 weeks each. No time to procrastinate!

[Anonymous]

Good for ADHD kids who get easily distracted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to Dartmouth, which is on the quarter system. I loved the quarter system as I only took 3 classes at a time. Also loved begin finished with fall papers/finals in early December and being able to have a real winter break (some semester schools have exams in January). At Dartmouth, internships were easy to get. I interned on Wall street for winter quarter and I had zero business knowledge or background and hadn't even taken one econ class in college. I knew people who got other coveted internships like interning at the white house during the school year as well. Another plus is that people don't like to miss out on too much on campus, but if you spend one quarter studying abroad, you miss out on only 1/3rd of the school year but get 10 weeks in a different country, so for me it was a win-win. Like the poster above, I was also able to try lots of different courses and double major.

This was a huge plus for my Chicago kid who is interested in going abroad but wouldn't want to do it for an entire semester. He says everyone does one winter quarter somewhere warm, so you're only facing 3 Chicago winters in your time there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The quarter/trimester system can also be advantageous because it can open up time during the school year, when the kids can do internships that the kids who are on semesters aren’t available.

Chicago claims that kids have no trouble getting internships on the quarter system. I'll post back in 3 years and let you know if that's true (joking aside, DS has 3 friends there who have not had difficulty getting great internships)

Anecdotal obviously but I know one Chicago student with an internship/job at Goldman, and this was a test optional admit. Just fyi.

Current student. It’s pretty typical that they start later or have to do finals while at the internship. I’ve seen a lot of Stanford and UCLA students who are still working through finals while we’re going through orientation/first few weeks. They tend to do fine.