<p>hi there,
can anyone explain UChicago's quarter system to me, please.<br>
How long is winter break, thanksgiv. break, etc.?</p>
<p>Thanks a bunch,
FrozenButt</p>
<p>well, winter break is from the the tenth of december to the third of january this year. Most breaks are short, but they are in btw quarters, so you dont have finals when you come back. I dont know what else to say about the quarter system except to warn you about how hard it is. I'm taking four classes and I have no time to breathe.</p>
<p>The Chicago calendar consists of three separate quarters that run for ten weeks each. This means three midterms and three finals each year unless course requirements are papers instead of exams.</p>
<p>The requirement for graduation is 42 courses less any courses that have been tested out of via AP exams or Chicago exams.</p>
<p>If one has to take 42 courses, this translates into 6 quarters of 4 courses each and 6 quarters of 3 courses each.</p>
<p>The UC website has the academic calendar posted for the next 10 plus years if you are interested.</p>
<p>Though three mid-terms, three finals is a good rule of thumb, many classes actually give more major exams, often three per quarter. S has will have three major exams in 3 of his 4 courses this quarter, the remain course requires three major papers. Had the first ones after only 3 weeks of course work. He agrees with the old UChicago saying, "If you are doing well, your GPA is higher than the number of hours of sleep you get a night."</p>
<p>Here is an article good for a few chuckles, from the a Princeton student who visited UChicago about workload: <a href="http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/archives/2000/03/07/opinion/399.shtml%5B/url%5D">http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/archives/2000/03/07/opinion/399.shtml</a></p>
<p>The 42 course requirement can also include some AP credit (if one scores a 4 or 5), and credit via placement is also possible. Accordingly, one might be able to tale a couple more 3 course quarters. Students often, however, find an area of interest and take more than they absolutely need to for graduation.</p>
<p>Thank you for all the replies.<br>
U Chicago's schedule makes so much more sense now!</p>
<p>~FrozenButt</p>