The basic college is on the Semester schedule: split into two by Christmas break, two midterm weeks, two final weeks, out in May, and you can ditch classes. Then there's the quarter system: 9/10 weeks of classes, 3 midterm weeks, 3 final weeks, not out until June, and triple the work. Triple the struggles:
1. There is no "syllabus week":
The professor does one of two things: goes through the syllabus in 20 minutes or says "it's online, let's move into the first chapter." There is no such thing as syllabus week with the quarter system. We have full blown lectures the first day of class.
2. We don't go back till September:
We get a break from June till September, making it a pretty long summer break. Going back after Labor Day is great and all, but then you realize all your other friends left already...
3. We have midterms after 4 weeks of classes:
Since we only meet about two or three times a week midterms week happens after only 8 classes. That's ONLY 8 times we've actually seen the professor and been in class. How could you learn the information for the midterm in that amount of time... Also we have to deal with this 3 times every year, not just twice.
4. When people on the semester schedule ask "Why don't you just skip class?"
Well, if I skip one class I will have probably missed two chapters, 5 assignments, and a test.
5. You learn 15 weeks of information in 9 weeks:
Oh so you get a month to do the assignment and study for your test... must be nice.
6. It goes really really fast:
Week 1 and 2: Chapters 1-30... Week 3 and 4: ten assignments and a quiz..Week 5: Midterms...Week 6 and 7: Chapters 31-60...Week 8: term paper... Week 9: Finals
7. We go back basically the day after new years:
You get one of two days of recovery after new Years then its right back to school whereas everyone else gets roughly another two weeks before heading back.
8. We have 3 finals weeks:
We have finals every nine or ten weeks. As if every couple months wasn't bad enough.
9. We don't get out till June:
While everyone else is out in May, we're just trying to survive the last month until June.
10. We all complain, but will back the quarter system no matter what:
There are some pretty nice benefits to the quarter system: not going back till September, getting out before Thanksgiving, not going at all in December, and some of us even thrive under the intense pressure of the quarter system. Sure we complain, but in the end we all got this.
