I took a literature class one summer over a 5 week period. It was a ton of reading every day and became a chore rather than enjoyable.
@mageecrew It would seem that Bucknell would be a possibility for you. It’s TE, small town, engineering I believe.
I took organic chemistry in block plan and loved it. But there was no way to do anything else, at all. If you missed even 1 day, you’d be toast.
MODERATOR’S NOTE: Please remember to stay on topic. You can start new threads if you want to discuss other subjects.
Since Lafayette has been discussed recently, I’ll add to the mix.
Added: Lafayette. This was an last-minute unplanned stop for DD during planned visits to other schools. DD had mild interest because it’s a LAC with engineering, combined with having a fencing team. We arrived too late for the last official tour, so the student working in the admissions office gave us a self-guided tour booklet and said: “if you have questions, just ask anyone you bump into, they’ll help.” I was dubious.
We went to the Engineering building first. We were peeking in the windows of closed labs and someone came up to us and asked if we had any questions. Turns out it was a ChemE prof. She took us into her lab and spent 30 minutes describing her research into biofuels. This was after 4PM on a Friday afternoon.
We went to the Science building next, again peeking in closed labs. Another prof came up, introduced himself, toured us and talked about his his research.
On to the dorm area. We were looking at a campus map sign, and a student came up and said, “I’m a tour guide here, do you have any questions?” – then spent time talking to us about campus life, and gave us her student ambassador business card.
Kudos to Lafayette for knowing how to identify and treat guests.
@WalknOnEggShells Keep in mind that the quarter system is not 10 weeks. It is more like 7-8 weeks of classes. Those last two weeks are reserved for exams which is not instructional time. Sure it might allow more time to study before the final exam but if it is a stem class that builds on itself, then it can be hard to master all that material for the final if you were lost in the first few chapters.
@stencils, that is what sold us on Lafayette, that and the beautiful campus. The administration and professors were very helpful. And my freshman daughter is finding the friendliness to continue once you become a student. She said the students are just plain nice and “normal” (I think by that she means not extreme anything - partiers, political, geeky, preppy… just smart,nice and friendly) and her professors very approachable. That is her experience so far…
@MassDaD68 My quarter school was ten weeks of instruction followed by one week of finals. My experience with schools on the quarter system are three quarters from fall to spring plus a summer period for the fourth quarter.
@nordicdad Would what you describe be the Trimester. Not to be argumentative but I understood quarters to be four separate semesters a year. 4 semesters X 7 weeks each =28 weeks. So the first year, your child can get done Calc I thru IV. A Trimester situation would be three separate semesters for 10 weeks. 3X10 = 30 weeks. And semester collegesw offers 2 separate semesters at 14 weeks each. 2x14=28 weeks.
Or do I just understand all this to be wrong?
My understanding is that 3 quarters equal 2 semesters- 30 weeks of classes plus exams. Never heard it called a trimester system. Post # 1387 has it right.
@wis75 Some schools, such as Carleton, don’t offer classes during the summer. Therefore, the system is properly called a trimester system.
@MassDaD68 - I don’t know of any schools with 7 week quarters. The closest to that I have ever hear of is the British system with four 8 week terms with 5-week breaks in between. All students attend all sessions.
What @nordicdad describes – three 10-week quarters (Fall, Winter, Spring) that all students partake in, with an optional summer quarter is typical of quarter system schools. All of the UCs – except Berkeley – function on this type of quarter system, as do the University of Chicago, Northwestern, Stanford, among others. Carleton is, as @itsgettingreal points out, a bit unusual in that there are no summer classes offered and they do refer to them as trimesters rather than quarters. Moreover, Carleton’s first quarter ends earlier than most (at Thanksgiving) with a longer break, whereas most quarter-system based schools go until mid-December.
Most quarter system schools start and end later (mid-late September to early-mid June), as opposed to semesters that begin in August and end in May. Semester schools also have a longer winter break than quarter systems do, as quarter systems necessarily have two intersession breaks rather than one.
This will tell you more than you’ll ever need to know about academic scheduling world-wide:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_term
Now back to our regularly scheduled programming…
I would love to hear about more schools that were liked or disliked after tours. Anyone have any stories?
As in the nice post above. Even though there may not be a fourth quarter offered it is commonly called the quarter system- in contrast to the semester system. It does not matter what you think is “proper”- and I disagree with you on that technically. Some schools use their own nomenclature but that needs translating to the commonly used quarter system if there are 10 weeks to a term instead of 15. A few offer different term times as well. It is important to remember the credit equivalents when comparing systems- a quarter system credit is worth 2/3 of a semester one. btw- this has nothing to do with the material covered since different schools, regardless of system, offer different amounts. One reason elite tier school A likely will give/require much more than middle tier school B. Also a reason some colleges will not accept AP credits as equivalent to their courses- not as much is covered in the AP course.
So- back to hearing about various schools after visits.
It’s ok to admit when you’re wrong. It’s not merely a technicality. If you use the wrong term, that’s on you. Geez!
MODERATOR’S NOTE:
Bingo!
Whether one calls them quarters or trimesters, they both refer to 10 week terms.
You’re confusing the word “semester” with “term.” A semester by definition is one of 2 terms in an academic year, typically 15 weeks. From the from Latin semestris “six-monthly”
Now that we have that out of the way, the OT discussion of semester/trimester has ended on this thread. If anyone wants to further discuss, start a new thread. Let’s get back to the question posed in the title please.
D15 went to Open house type event at South Carolina (in state). Caolina put on a great event. Well organized. Great tour guide. Both D and friend were impressed. USC moved up in this early race. South Carolina has #1 International Business program. Lottery and scholarship money is very appealing.
I think my post got deleted. Sorry guys.
Heres my touring list! I toured so many schools, I’m a twin and a senior this year. This is only my list, which is still less than half the schools I visited. Very tired to say the least lol.
MOVED UP:
George Washington: LOVED the campus and the vibe from students. Felt like a very determined atmosphere and very busy with kids everywhere. Ate in the dining hall and felt like I would fit in overhearing conversations from students. Loved the involvement in politics! Location is the best on the list - walked two blocks to the national mall.
Fordham: Visited twice and has remained a top choice. Campus is beautiful, especially in the fall. Tours were given in business attire, felt very prestigious. The Dean always gives a great speech not only on college but life in general, which I really appreciate.
Syracuse: Visited on the best fall day in October (it snowed a few days later). Great tour of business school and over all campus. Students seemed very happy and prideful of their school. One of the best organized tours I have been on! A little concerned about greek life, though.
Boston University: I loved the location on the water and how accessible the city was. It was freezing outside, but students were still really active which I liked. HAD MICROPHONES!!! PLEASE colleges in urban areas take note of this! It is so hard to hear on tours at large schools. First college I visited and has remained a top choice throughout the whole process.
Princeton: Beautiful. Laid-back tour, Princeton obviously doesn’t have to prove itself as much as other schools so it was easier to relax and enjoy my time on campus. However, the tour guide let everyone know how her entire family attended, and mostly everyone on the tour looked like they worked for J-Crew. After that it just seemed to fit the Ivy-League stereotype, but it was a great experience.
STAYED THE SAME:
Northeastern: I liked it, my parents didn’t. Raining through the whole tour. My family’s conflicting opinions has kept this one in the same spot.
MOVED DOWN:
Rutgers: Very bad experience. Kids shouted “Rutgers sucks” and “Dont come here” while on the tour. Very awkward for the tour guide, who was great. Very busy winter day on college avenue, didn’t feel like students enjoyed being there. It has always been a safety and remained that way after the tour.
Penn State: Removed totally. Did the 4 hours each-way drive in one day, bad idea. Campus was too large, wasn’t as beautiful to me as everyone says.
Delaware: I loved the campus and the open house was awesome. I just don’t like how many people from my school end up going here, and the large greek and party scene.
My final list for applying:
Boston U
Boston College
Northeastern
Syracuse
Fordham
Villanova
Pitt (admitted!)
American
GWU
Vermont
Rutgers
URichmond
My dd visited UFlorida at Tallahassee and UMiami. She loved both. UM is a real reach, but the campus was beautiful and the academics are very research oriented which appealed to dd. UF is less of a reach, but still tough for out of staters. She loved that the dorms were newly built in the last 5 years, and that the rooms were big. She got to talk with a prof in her major (bio) and was very impressed.