<p>Just a head’s up to all the applicants. Cal Poly is deciding whether they will switch to a semester schedule supposedly by the end of this quarter. This could impact transfer students as well. It may mean that classes and courses will be changing quite drastically over the next year or so. Many are hoping that the change will not happen as the quarter system gives calpoly a unique vibe.</p>
<p>Great info meg. Much appreciated.</p>
<p>Interesting… I have been in, and observed, both systems. At least 75% of all schools are on the mid Aug- mid-May Semester calendar. The Quarter system gets out in mid-late June, 5-6 weeks after most semester schools release their students for jobs/internships. </p>
<p>My experience is that most summer jobs and internships are aligned with the Semester system, not the Quarter system. There aren’t that many Quarter schools left… UCLA, Northwestern, Stanford, Caltech, Chicago, Dartmouth (if you consider 4-1-4 to be Quarter)</p>
<p>Many Professors who have taught in the Semester system before teaching in the Quarter system (which is most) have curricula designed around 15 rather than 10 weeks of instruction. Instead of redesigning their curricula, they usually try to cram 15 weeks of material into 10 weeks, which can have the effect of causing most students to learn more concepts, but each one less thoroughly. YOu simply can’t convert 15 weeks into 10.</p>
<p>Per this article, the earliest such a change would occur, if approved, would be Fall, 2015. <a href=“http://www.examiner.com/article/semesters-at-cal-poly[/url]”>http://www.examiner.com/article/semesters-at-cal-poly</a></p>
<p>One thing for sure… if it is anything like LAUSD’s coversion to a college-semester-like Aug-May schedule this past summer, the summer the conversion takes place will be only about 8-9 weeks long. Spring Quarter would get out around mid-June, but the Fall Semester would start mid-August.</p>
<p>My daughter is a junior at CP. Hearing it wouldn’t happen until Fall of 2014.</p>
<p>Even if it does happen, I think it will take longer than a few years to get this conversion done. Personally, I really like quarters, even though they can be somewhat fast paced. Plus we get real spring breaks! Semester people sometimes have to write papers over their spring breaks. I know this is trivial, but still…</p>
<p>I just read in the CalPoly Newspaper that the “review committee” had yet to start their report of recommendations…looks as it this will be a long process. My daughter likes the quarter system because the work is not so spread out. She prefers the high intensity type of studying etc.<br>
I do agree with DunninLA tho’ the quarter system is bound to make a summer jobs/internships difficult. I’m not sure how my daughter will handle this…but, being able to work after Labor Day might be worth something to somebody.</p>
<p>Memphispeg: </p>
<p>In my opinion this will not be a long process. I believe, now that prop.30 has passed, President Armstrong wil move very quickly to covert to a semester calendar. DunninLa implies that many professors prefer the semester system. However, I do not believe professors at Cal Poly or students for that matter have even been asked about their preference. It is a shame that millions of dollars will be spent on this conversion with no discussion how this will benefit students or tax payers.</p>
<p>I believe that a lot of the professors are against changing to semesters. The Mustang Daily reported that at a informational faculty forum, over 100 faculty members showed up in protest of a switch. </p>
<p>Sure, some less flexible summer internships and jobs are more difficult to schedule with the quarter system, but you can find one if you really want to (I did and so did plenty of other people in my major). Plus, if a company/organization/firm/whatever really wants you, they will be willing to work with your schedule. Also, some places (especially in business and engineering) will recruit summer interns from Cal Poly. In this case, their internship programs usually start in mid to late June and are over by sometime in August so that they can easily work with both quarter and semester students.</p>
<p>Here’s the latest update:</p>
<p>[Cal</a> Poly President’s Semester Task Force Recommends Maintaining Quarter System](<a href=“http://www.calpolynews.calpoly.edu/news_releases/2012/December/semesters.html]Cal”>http://www.calpolynews.calpoly.edu/news_releases/2012/December/semesters.html)</p>
<p>It occurs to me that there are really two separate questions:</p>
<p>1) Which system, in general, leads to better outcomes, and
2) Is there enough difference between the two to merit switching?</p>
<p>I do believe Semesters, on balance, are a preferable system. I don’t have the answer to whether the downsides implicit in a conversion process outweigh the small benefit to the Semester system. It looks to me like the Committee decided the downsides (stress, cost) outweigh the benefits.</p>