Reply to Trimester/Quarter System vs. Two Semester System

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]It sounds like Northwestern and Dartmouth are two schools that work on a quarter system, rather than a two semester (+ summer) system. As we understand it, students typically take classes three semesters of the four (the fourth being summer, which is actually a required on-campus quarter for Dartmouth students after sophomore year.)

We'd love to hear from anyone at a college (or with a DC at a college) with this type of system. What do you think?

How many courses do they take per semester? Do these courses cover as much ground as similar courses taught in a peer two semester school? How does that work load feel?

Also, does this mean more kids opt to spend a semester or more of their year off-campus pursuing internships, research, or other types of applied learning? Or do more opt to stay on campus over the summer to take classes?

Or do students at these schools literally take more classes (4 x 3 semesters a year x 4 = 48 classes) and get "more" of an education than their peers at schools with a more typical two-semester system (4 x 2 semesters a year x 4 = 32 classes)?

Any other thoughts about how the quarter (trimester) calendar impacts the student experience?

Thanks.

[/quote]

Kid is at an LAC with a trimester schedule. They like it. It does not mean they are getting “more of an education” as the hours of instruction per year work out to about the same. What it means is they change courses more often, which means it’s easier to try something new; ie, it doesn’t represent as much of an investment of your total course count available. It also means they don’t have schoolwork hanging over them on winter or spring breaks. It also makes it easier if you are an athlete who wants to take a less intense load when in season. At their school (Carleton) the norm is 3 full credit classes per term rather than the usual 4, so each single class actually meets for more time and assigns more work, which might work a little better if a student’s learning style is to go deeper on fewer things in a given week. [/quote]

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