Quarter System

[lovelynn123]

Has anyone experienced transitioning from a semester system to a quarterly one? Was it easy to get used to or did you just not like it?

[MarA]

Has anyone experienced transitioning from a semester system to a quarterly one? Was it easy to get used to or did you just not like it?

I have never attended a school with a quarter system. However, for graduate school, I don't think that the systems will matter much because basically you are in lab full time after your first year. You won't take many classes anyway so there is virtually no difference between the two systems.

[msgrad09]

I have never transitioned from one to the other, but I did my undergrad at at University on the quarter system. I'm not sure how much it will matter for your decision making process because you will only be taking classes for a year or two.

But some things to consider about the quarter system:

Each quarter is about 10 or 11 weeks (depends on where you go). This means that midterms come up very quickly, usually the first round is about 2-3 weeks in. They sneak up on you so if you've been slacking off, you will find yourself cramming right before the exam. However since there is less time in between each midterm, there is less information to learn.

Also, if you don't like a class, its over in 10 weeks and it won't drag on forever. Also christmas break and spring break are the transitions between the quarters so you don't have to worry about studying over the break to take a test when you get back. You get to enjoy your breaks and then start a whole new round of classes after the break.

There are pro's and cons to each I'm sure. I liked the quarter system, and i'm sure it will take me some getting used to the semester system wherever I end up for grad school. Good luck!

[cafeomuerte]

Hi guys!

I noticed that this Topic hasn't been active since almost two years ago, but I'm optimistic that someone will read my question

For a couple of applications, I'm being asked to enter all the relevant courses in my field and to specify in which quarter I took each course-- however, I'm not familiar with the quarter system so I'm completely clueless.

I guess the American way of dividing the year is Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer, but the blank where I'm supposed to fill in the quarter is a numeric entry so what I need to know is the order in which I'm supposed to count them.

Thanks!

[waddle]

Hi guys!

I noticed that this Topic hasn't been active since almost two years ago, but I'm optimistic that someone will read my question

For a couple of applications, I'm being asked to enter all the relevant courses in my field and to specify in which quarter I took each course-- however, I'm not familiar with the quarter system so I'm completely clueless.

I guess the American way of dividing the year is Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer, but the blank where I'm supposed to fill in the quarter is a numeric entry so what I need to know is the order in which I'm supposed to count them.

Thanks!

I don't think I've ever see this numeric designation for terms before ... but generally, each calendar year begins with "Winter" quarter, so the first quarter of 2011 would be "winter 2011", then spring, summer, and fall. Each academic year begins with fall quarter, so academic year 2011-2012 is from the beginning of fall quarter 2011 to the end of summer quarter 2012. Hope this helps

[cafeomuerte]

I don't think I've ever see this numeric designation for terms before ... but generally, each calendar year begins with "Winter" quarter, so the first quarter of 2011 would be "winter 2011", then spring, summer, and fall. Each academic year begins with fall quarter, so academic year 2011-2012 is from the beginning of fall quarter 2011 to the end of summer quarter 2012. Hope this helps

Yes! Thanks a lot!