They have a real Spring break between quarters, they get a class done with less cumulative finals over ten weeks not fifteen weeks One big advantage of the quarter system is that students are taking less classes than students in a semester system. For example, a comparison of psychology, English, and political science courses at UCLA (which operates on the quarter system) and UC Berkeley (which does not) reveals that UCLA offers 45% more courses in each department, on average. "My degree has already helped me in getting a great job at IBM. The quarter system breaks happen in March, December and June. Therefore, they can accommodate the attention span of most college students. In a quarter system, the student can explore more classes, usually 9-12. There is also more variety of electives since, as the author of this article states, “it is much easier for professors to teach one quarter of their specialty than one semester when they have other teaching requirements, like teaching intro classes.” The biggest both advantage and disadvantage of the quarter system is its pace. Regardless of whether you attend a school that operates on a semester or quarter system, the most important factor in determining your success will be your determination, motivation, and level of effort! They typically take their midterms within the first four weeks of classes beginning, an… having experienced both a quarter and semester system, I would have to say the quarter system is much better. One of the biggest benefits of the quarter system is the frequent breaks. A semester calendar year provides more opportunities for student-faculty contact. In the United States, colleges and universities use different academic calendars or schedules. In the same way, students transferring quarter credits to semester credits would divide quarter credits by 1.5. The institution of 10-week quarters is not quite as rare as some may think; though a majority of schools in the US adhere to the more standard two semester academic year that we all fell in love with in High School, around one fifth of colleges use quarters. Similarly, quarter system students may also be ineligible for study-abroad programs, which often run on a semester schedule. From both a student and professor perspective, there are benefits and disadvantages of the semester system. What this means for transfer stud… This more leisurely pace can positively impact both learning and teaching. The traditional quarter system (10 weeks) does seem more poetic. Many internships align with semester systems, so students will have to find businesses or organizations that are more flexible to adhere to the quarter schedule. The spring / summer semester is often split into two halves, so instead of classes being four months long, they’re usually two months long. Also, if you don’t like … Semester system schools have summer sessions too. A quarter system consists of four 10-week sessions: fall, winter, spring, and summer. Since the semester system closely aligns with most high school and community college schedules, it allows traditional college students to adjust more easily to the newness of university life. 2. No matter why a student chooses to change schools, the education they’ve paid for and knowledge they’ve learned should not go to waste. I prefer the semester system. In this format, the average full-time student takes 3-4 courses per term, or 9-12 credits. On the quarter system at my school, most students take between 15-19 credit hours on average. Full-time students on the quarter system take fewer subjects at one time (3-4 classes). 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