<p>Can somebody explain this weird academic calendar? :P I have been googling around without success...</p>
<ul>
<li>When does school start/end?</li>
<li>How many weeks of school?</li>
<li>What breaks are there?</li>
<li>Is it more stressful than the normal semester system?</li>
<li>Pros?</li>
<li>Cons?</li>
</ul>
<p>did you not bother going to the website?</p>
<p>everything is there</p>
<p>School starts and ends later than most US colleges (don’t remember the exact dates). There are 3 ten-week terms, September - early December, January to mid-March, late March to early/mid June. There’s Thursday and Friday off in November for US Thanksgiving (dorms remain open) and then about 3 weeks of in December, one week off in mid-March between winter and spring terms, and then summer break sometime June through September. The thing I like is that except for Thanksgiving every break is after the term so there’s no schoolwork hanging over your head during your breaks.</p>
<p>This allow students to take many more classes in four years than in a more traditional semester schedule. Students double major, single major and double minor, etc. You can also expose yourself to a lot more topics for the 10 weeks and decide if it’s of any interest to you to continue. You need to keep up though because a lot gets covered in 10 weeks. My daughter has 2 mid-terms (which is an incorrect use of the term I think) in her math classes and a final which means that every 3 weeks she’s having a major test so it’s really hard to catch up should you fall behind.</p>
<p>Straight from the Daily Northwestern, a student complains about the quarter system :</p>
<p>[Gutelle:</a> Cramming is the quarter system’s biggest flaw - Forum - The Daily Northwestern - Northwestern University](<a href=“http://www.dailynorthwestern.com/forum/gutelle-cramming-is-the-quarter-system-s-biggest-flaw-1.2662175]Gutelle:”>http://www.dailynorthwestern.com/forum/gutelle-cramming-is-the-quarter-system-s-biggest-flaw-1.2662175)</p>
<p>I guess if you are studious and well-organized, it is not a problem. Or just want the NWU badge even if you learned nothing and don’t plan to go to graduate school.</p>
<p>Yea, I guess students at Dartmouth, UChicago, & Stanford learned nothing also. By the way, you created an account just to post this? I love how our forum attracts so many trolls; it shows how awesome we are.</p>
<p>Sam Lee – is Princeton on the quarter system too? I can’t remember.</p>
<p>[Quarter</a> System and Block Plan Colleges and Universities](<a href=“http://www.planetbauer.com/colleges.htm]Quarter”>Quarter System and Block Plan Colleges and Universities)</p>
<p>From my point of view, biggest advantages:</p>
<ul>
<li>More opportunities to take wide range of classes (up to 48 in four years vs. 32)</li>
<li>Less stress - helps keep you organized - less likely to fall far behind in work</li>
<li>Flexibility to take 3 classes in a particularly difficult term (esp sci classes w/labs)</li>
<li>A bad class is over in 10 weeks</li>
<li>A good class/prof means an easier opportunity to take another in the field/with the prof</li>
<li>A bad grade hurts a lot less (8% of a year’s GPA rather than 12%)</li>
<li>Easier to add school year internships with/without credit</li>
<li>More study abroad flexibility</li>
<li>Ski trip in December with other trimester schools (including California system)</li>
</ul>
<p>Disadvantages:</p>
<ul>
<li>Later start/finish to school year</li>
<li>Somewhat offset from semester school schedule</li>
</ul>
<p>Remember, you don’t HAVE to take 4 courses/trimester - especially with AP credits, it’s easy to have multiple trimesters you may choose to focus on only 3. Personally, would never vote change system as is. Vast majority of kids at NU would agree.</p>
<p>@Bala: that’s a great list.</p>
<p>And although it does seem like smikey is a ■■■■■, the article that he’s linked to does seem to make some valid points… As an incoming freshman, is it really that stressful during a quarter that you’re always studying for a midterm/test/final, or trying to meet a deadline, and don’t have the real time to absorb what you’re learning? I sort of figured that you would have to work harder, but you’d still be able to learn for the sake of learning too - aside from just studying for exams, but I just wanted to make sure? Is that the kind of experience that most people have had with the quarter system or is that just one person’s take on how things were for him?</p>
<p>^Never take any of the student journalism seriously. Ever.</p>
<p>NW students, do you find that the fact that your school’s calendar doesn’t match up with others’ is inconvenient? Not only in terms of socializing back home, but what about internships, study abroad programs - can NW partner with other schools for those, or are things just too “off-synch”?</p>
<p>Only in terms of socializing back home do I find it obnoxious. Otherwise - internships/study abroad - it’s never a problem.</p>
<p>@arbitrer213 Never take any journ student seriously? Isn’t that a major generalization? At least this student put his real name and I am pretty sure, his actual photo as opposed to most of us anonymous posters here.
@sam lee : I have been lurking on and off for 2 years and taking in opinions with a grain of salt. By the way, do you work for NW admissions (yeah, I always thought NU is Northeastern) since you answer all hours of the day. Maybe a paid marketing consultant?</p>
<p>I went to the tour Nov2010 and asked the the guide in private about this quarter system and the guy said it could get stressful because it seems there’s a test/midterm every week. He’s also worried how to get a great recommendation for an internship from his professor who barely knows who’s in his class in those 10 short weeks.</p>
<p>There’s a big difference between a student journalist and a journalism student, and taking a journalist’s work seriously and the journalist seriously.</p>
<p>I would imagine every student’s experience is different. My S has not had any problems adjusting to the quarter system. His grades are very good, he works 10 hours a week, he is editor of a magazine and he socializes when he wants. He is also very organized and disciplined in his approach to everything. He knows several teachers quite well as many of his classes have 10-15 students. Also, he is home 3 weeks that overlap with his friends during winter break and has had the same spring break week as his semester friends each year.</p>
<p>I don’t know this firsthand (yet), but I’d expect another advantage is that some kids can graduate a quarter early due to AP credits, which would save a bucket of money. ;-D</p>
<p>Say, maybe they’ll also give D a break on her tuition if mom keeps spreading the NU love! ;-D</p>
<p>Momcares - that is correct - my son came in with about 5 classes and could have graduated 2 qtrs early or tried to squeeze in a masters in the 4 years.</p>
<p>@kleibo - Thanks… that’s very cool! It also gives me hope as D came in with a similar number of classes. I’m guessing she’ll use the extra time towards another major, but it’s all good since we’ll be paying tuition for our S by then as well so her finishing early wouldn’t save as much.</p>
<p>D also finds that she can take more than the prescribed number of classes some quarters, which could also help shave off quarters if one were so inclined.</p>
<p>^If you take extra classes and graduate early as a result, there’s an acceleration fee (you save a decent chunk less). However, if you came in with ~12+ credits (like several of my friends and I did) then it’s easy to either graduate early or take fewer classes whenever you want (one friend literally took 3 credits every term, graduated with a 3.98).</p>