If you happen to be one of the few universities who abide by the quarter system, you've probably gotten some confused looks here and there. The expected "why are you still on break?", and "you're taking HOW many classes?" are just some unavoidable questions that get brought up in conversation. According to The National Association of College Stores, 71.2 percent of colleges use the semester calendar while just 14.7 percent use the quarter calendar.

While there is no "better" or "correct" way for a university to schedule classes, many students tend to favor one method over the other.

For instance, my least favorite part about the quarter system has to be the long winter break. While some college students love having six weeks from Thanksgiving to New Year's back at home with their families, I actually dread it. Don't get me wrong, I love being home from school, but only in short increments. While in Chicago and at school, I get to be my own person! There is no one asking me what time I'll be home, when can I help do the dishes, or why I am sleeping in so late. Being back home and in my childhood bedroom feels like I am a little kid again, and after getting a taste of freedom, it doesn't feel so good. If my university happened to be on the semester calendar, these academic breaks wouldn't be as long. Rather than six straight weeks away from school, it would be more like three or four weeks off.

Additionally, many of my other college friends from other universities are on the semester calendar, which means our breaks rarely match up. While I'll still be taking final exams during the month of June, the majority of colleges will have been out for summer break. Speaking of exams, you feel as though you are never far from one. Since the quarter system classes move at a ten-week pace, midterms and finals approach MUCH faster than they would during a typical semester course. Before you know it, syllabus week becomes syllabus day, and three lessons into your toughest course a midterm exam is approaching at an alarming rate.

In terms of internships and job opportunities, the quarter system kind of screws students over in that aspect, too. Since most internships require a contract from either Aug-Dec or Jan-May, those on the quarter calendar face conflict with when they're on campus and when they're back home. It can be quite tough to find openings that are flexible enough to allow interns to customize their own schedule - as though landing an internship isn't hard enough.

However, these fast-paced courses allow quarter system students to take a wider array of classes in a year's time. While semester schedule kids take around ten classes per year, those on the quarter system get to take approximately twelve. This allows for us to explore more options surrounding our majors and dip our toes into some of those topics we're interested during our college experience. We have more "wiggle room" to sample some elective courses that really give us a sense of what career path suits us best. Also, if you hate the class, it's only ten weeks. If you love the class, it'll be a great ten weeks!

While the quarter system isn't for everyone, you learn to get used to the little annoyances.