Quarter system

[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.

Not really common, that’s usually only available for makeups in the case of extreme circumstances.

[Anonymous]

I'll second that having fewer classes was nice when I was on the quarter system. It was weird going back to semesters in law school. Those 1L classes felt like they went on forever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

Both my DH and I went to schools with quarters and now have had two out of our 4 kids at schools with quarters. We all studied abroad (fall lines up nicely) and my kids have had no problem getting internships. Most people understand what the quarter system is. I liked that if you had a terrible class it was over quickly. I also liked the fast pace. I am not sure it is "easier" to double major. That really depends on the major and the school.

[Anonymous]

I don’t really see the benefit for stem. Thinking back on my degree, if anything, I needed more time to “get” the content, not less. Looking through quarter system syllabi, they do seem to have air up less coursework in exchange for a quicker semester, which isn’t really a pro in my eyes.

[Anonymous]

The UC system is considering moving all campuses to semesters. Good article about pros and cons and challenges of making the change: https://www.yahoo.com/news/uc-considers-adopting-semester-system-100000716.html

I think it's interesting that the original reason for quarters was accommodating students in military training programs after WWI, then the Baby Boom. Nothing to do with pedagogy.

[Anonymous]

DD at UCLA likes it. Gets to move on to more subjects when getting sick of current classes.

[Anonymous]

My kid is going to one of those schools and so far, we don't like it.
She's not particularly happy about starting late and not coming home until June.
She plans to go abroad at some point and would rather do it during the Spring when most of her HS friends will but instead will have to do it during the Fall.
As her parent, I had really wanted to do a family vacation the first week of January instead of during Christmas as it would be less crowded and cheaper, but she has to go back on the 2nd or 3rd. Grrr.
I guess we shall see how it works out academically.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t really see the benefit for stem. Thinking back on my degree, if anything, I needed more time to “get” the content, not less. Looking through quarter system syllabi, they do seem to have air up less coursework in exchange for a quicker semester, which isn’t really a pro in my eyes.

+1 Did not appeal to my kid, who ended up ruling out schools with the quarter system. Too bad, because initially was pretty gung-ho about Chicago.

[Anonymous]

Thank you all for the very helpful answers. So great to get varied first hand experiences. Especially the historical background and the UCs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

Why are some still on a quarter system? Back in 20th century Univ of WA, OR, Oregon State has quarter systems. You started classes just as the miserable rain started and end the school year when the rain ended leading into beautiful summers/break.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

Why are some still on a quarter system? Back in 20th century Univ of WA, OR, Oregon State has quarter systems. You started classes just as the miserable rain started and end the school year when the rain ended leading into beautiful summers/break.

I think it's just a holdover from earlier times that's hard to change. Pushback from professors, having to re-do systems and major tracks, etc. Easier to keep the status quo.

[Anonymous]

My daughter is in trimester system, and it allowed her to graduate a year early. The breaks are better timed, too. Not a fan of semesters.

[Anonymous]

NU engineering alum. I liked taking lots of classes, and not having to study over breaks. Pace and testing were fine for me but ymmv. Had plenty of free time.
No trouble getting paid summer positions in research on the east coast. (Wanted to come home for summers)

I could see it being annoying to have different summer break time than HS friends.

[Anonymous]

I have a rising junior at one of schools mentioned. She likes the faster pace and that doesn’t have work when on break. Hasn’t had trouble getting internships. Summer before freshman year was tough because most other kids from HS have left and kid is only one home. But after first year it doesn’t matter since school friends all on same schedule.
From parent perspective, quarter system is best for kids with very high executive functioning skills. It does allow you to try more classes, double major, etc. But you need to be highly organized, especially if STEM major with labs.