I'll be a college in a few weeks with a quarter system while most of my friends will be using the semester system. I've noticed that, we have an extra final and mid term, a week or two winter break as oppose to their month or so. So are there any advantages of being on a quarter system?
Quarter Vs Semester?
- Thread starter aolsuxs
- Start date
Nope. Sounds like it sucks donkey balls to me. J/k- enlighten us! I really know nothing more about it than you've already told us. How many holidays do you get off? What is the summer situation? What school is this?
I've been on a semester system and it sucks.. you feel like it drags and you lose interest and motivation in the middle. im going into a quarter system this fall so Im looking forward to that.
I go to UCSD and we are also on a quarter system. I'm not sure exactly how the breaks work again, but I do remember that winter break for Christmas was pretty short. But this summer break has been looooong. I can't wait to go back. But I think the real advantage of quarter systems is that classes go faster. That can either be taken as good or bad, because 1) you jam more information into shorter amounts of time but 2) classes simply go by faster. You aren't stuck in the same boring class for months and months. It's over in about 10 or 11 weeks. So I don't mind the quarter system, but then again, I haven't been on the semester system in college so perhaps I would like that better
I've been on quarters my entire college career. There are ups and downs. We don't start until nearly October (some years we actually start in October) and our Winter Break is usually about 3 weeks (early/mid-December to early January). Of course we don't get out until around June 10. And our schedule is obviously off from everybody else's (sometimes Spring Break coincides with others') so making vacation arrangements with friends who attend other colleges can be difficult. Also you're at home for a month after everybody else has gone away to school.
We have 10-week quarters plus a 1-week Finals period. 10 weeks is a very short time, and it often leads profs to leave out or skim over stuff, because there's only so much you can cover in 10 weeks. However, this can be beneficial when the subject really doesn't interest you as much -- you just learn what you need, and forget the rest. Also the added variety (you take 12 courses in a year rather than just 8) can be a bonus... you can take a lot more electives and stuff that you want to take. However, in some classes you won't be assigned homework until 2nd or 3rd week, and it's not due until 3rd or 4th week, and you get it back 4th or 5th week, and you have a midterm 5th or 6th week! It's very compressed compared to a semester system, and there often isn't a lot of time to get feedback before you have a test.
We have 10-week quarters plus a 1-week Finals period. 10 weeks is a very short time, and it often leads profs to leave out or skim over stuff, because there's only so much you can cover in 10 weeks. However, this can be beneficial when the subject really doesn't interest you as much -- you just learn what you need, and forget the rest. Also the added variety (you take 12 courses in a year rather than just 8) can be a bonus... you can take a lot more electives and stuff that you want to take. However, in some classes you won't be assigned homework until 2nd or 3rd week, and it's not due until 3rd or 4th week, and you get it back 4th or 5th week, and you have a midterm 5th or 6th week! It's very compressed compared to a semester system, and there often isn't a lot of time to get feedback before you have a test.
there are advantages and disadvantages...
one advantage is that you get to take more courses. comparing a full semester year, you'll be able to take 8 classes where as if you're taking a full quarter year, you'll be able to get in 12 classes. that's an extra four classes that you can take.
one disadvantage that can be an advantage is:
your classes will only be 10 weeks long so you'll have less to study, theortically. sometimes, the prof will go faster to cover all the material, but most quarter classes there isn't as much material as the semester system. therefore, you'll be getting either a brief overview compared to an indepth analysis of the course (which would be an advantage for those who want it easy) or a fast indepth course (which would suck for quarter system).
one advantage is that you get to take more courses. comparing a full semester year, you'll be able to take 8 classes where as if you're taking a full quarter year, you'll be able to get in 12 classes. that's an extra four classes that you can take.
one disadvantage that can be an advantage is:
your classes will only be 10 weeks long so you'll have less to study, theortically. sometimes, the prof will go faster to cover all the material, but most quarter classes there isn't as much material as the semester system. therefore, you'll be getting either a brief overview compared to an indepth analysis of the course (which would be an advantage for those who want it easy) or a fast indepth course (which would suck for quarter system).
There used to be a quarter system here at the U of Minnesota, but they fortunately changed it when I got here. The quarter system just seemed kinda rushed to me, only 10 weeks or so for a class. Some of the old courses were changed to half-semester courses, and they go so fast that its difficult to keep up, and then 7 weeks later when its done you realize that you didn't really learn anything. So in conclusion, I think semesters are better.
RIT uses the quarter system and as far as i can remember most of my i see most of my friends from other colleges on the semester system because a week or 2 during breaks usually matches up with everyone elses.
anyways, it's a lot more studying to do cause you gotta cram 15 weeks into 10. i kinda like the extra pressure. and if you dont like a class then you've got 5 less weeks of it.
anyways, it's a lot more studying to do cause you gotta cram 15 weeks into 10. i kinda like the extra pressure. and if you dont like a class then you've got 5 less weeks of it.
So basically there are no real advantages to a quarter system except class goes by faster and you have more courses? I really wouldn't mind it to bad but the two week or so break as oppose to the month my friends get...arrrrrrgh
quarter advantages: midterms are less serious, semester midterms are like quarter finals.
quarter goes by quickly, semesters drag on forever.
quarter goes by quickly, semesters drag on forever.
I dislike Semesters, they remind me too much of high school and they drag on to long.
I perfer getting up at 11am, going to class at 1pm for 10 weeks, and then moving on to another class. Not 18 weeks...
I perfer getting up at 11am, going to class at 1pm for 10 weeks, and then moving on to another class. Not 18 weeks...
Well if you're in California and you have California friends, its better to be on the quarter system. 90% of the schools or more are on the quarter system here so if you're on the semester, you have nearly a month of summer... with no friends to enjoy it with.
I am sorta in that situation. I am going to a California school while most of my friends are either staying in here (nv) or have moved for school and all are on the semester system, so its been a very very long month, waiting for school to start...which is a first since kindergarden
Quarter system is probably good for you because if you chose the wrong major, you'll find out in quarters instead of semesters. If you're on AP (academic probation), you'll find out you have to pick it up after 2 quarters, and then you can either change your course choices or leave the uni.
Quarter systems don't cover less than semesters either. The topics are broken down into 3 instead of the usual 2. Take biology for example. At UC Davis, it's broken down into bio1a, 1b, and 1c... with bio1a being general bio, bio1b being animals, phylogeny, classification,etc and bio1c being plants. Math, physics, chem and most other classes are done the same way.
The UCs (except berkeley) have been on the quarter for so long, that's how the schools and classes are arranged. Problems with teaching too slow, fast, or skimming only occur because the teacher is new to the quarter and doesn't know how to teach to it or is a bad teacher and can't teach in the first place.
Quarter systems don't cover less than semesters either. The topics are broken down into 3 instead of the usual 2. Take biology for example. At UC Davis, it's broken down into bio1a, 1b, and 1c... with bio1a being general bio, bio1b being animals, phylogeny, classification,etc and bio1c being plants. Math, physics, chem and most other classes are done the same way.
The UCs (except berkeley) have been on the quarter for so long, that's how the schools and classes are arranged. Problems with teaching too slow, fast, or skimming only occur because the teacher is new to the quarter and doesn't know how to teach to it or is a bad teacher and can't teach in the first place.
TRENDING THREADS
-
Discussion Zen 5 Speculation (EPYC Turin and Strix Point/Granite Ridge - Ryzen 9000)- Started by DisEnchantment
- Replies: 25K
-
Discussion Intel Meteor, Arrow, Lunar & Panther Lakes Discussion Threads
- Started by Tigerick
- Replies: 21K
-
Discussion Intel current and future Lakes & Rapids thread- Started by TheF34RChannel
- Replies: 23K
-
-
Facebook
Twitter