<p>i need some info on northwesterns quarter system because i really like the school but im concerned about this? does the school year start/end earlier or later than semester schools? do the breaks match up? is taking a class for less time mean more/less work, or more/less stress?</p>
<p>i won't lie---back in the day--i x-ferred to NU from that ivy league school in Manhattan. I found overall that I was doing a lot more work at NU simply b/c I was taking more classes w. the quarter system.</p>
<p>how many classes are typically taken per quarter? and are you always on campus for all four quarters?</p>
<p>Having done my undergrad at NU and my master's at, as NUGrad5555 put it, "that Ivy League school in Manhattan," I have had experience with both systems, and I much preferred quarters to semesters. While it is true that the term moves more quickly on the quarter system, you generally only take 3-4 courses per quarter (as opposed to 5-6 on the semester system). I actually found that I felt significantly more stress in the semester system than I did in the quarter system. </p>
<p>Another nice side effect of the quarter system is the fact that all three major breaks are between terms, meaning that you have a set of finals before winter, spring, and summer vacations. As a result, you're never thinking about upcoming academic obligations during your time off. </p>
<p>The negatives, of course, are the fact that midterms start to pop up about three weeks into the quarter, and that sometimes, you feel as though you are rushing a bit through the material. </p>
<p>Oh, and the "quarter" system is really a misnomer. It's essentially a trimester system, with summer quarter generally only used to either do research, study abroad, or take a "mop-up" course or two if you weren't able to take care of your requirements during the school year. A lot of people do study abroad during the year, though, and some even take two quarters or a year.</p>
<p>what month does the year start and end in?</p>
<p>and wildlion82, do you know if the breaks btw quarters matched up with the breaks at your semester school?</p>
<p>Years ago when I was in college, my university started out on the quarter system. At the beginning of my jr year, it changed over to the semester system. In all honesty - I didn't notice that much difference between the two. No matter what - there are books to read, papers to write, exams to study for, etc... Both are a lot of work. Don't let the quarter system vs the semester system be the deciding factor for you. Pick your university based on other more important factors.</p>
<p>NU starts in mid-September and ends around the second week of June, so it doesn't quite line up with the academic calendars of most semester system schools.</p>
<p>The calendar is the only downside I can find with the quarter system- as WildLion said, we start late and end late (more in line with HS's than other colleges) and our breaks sometimes overlap but almost never exactly coincide with semester schools. (We'll be going back after xmas break when those schools have been out for like a week.)</p>
<p>To add to what WildLion said, I find the QS significantly less stressful than I probably would a semester system. While yes, midterms come fast, taking 3 or 4 classes (both are a "full load") is highly manageable (3 is AMAZING, and everyone gets at least a few quarters to take 3- even more with AP credits). I even took 5 in the fall to make up for a dropped class, and while it WAS difficult, I still did it and did well in all classes. Plus, with the QS, you get to take more classes in a year, which is great for variety's sake and also for simply fulfilling requirements... no stressing out about that Science distro you're stuck with for half a year, you know?</p>
<p>Anyway I really love the quarter system so I hope it doesn't stop you from attending.</p>
<p>do you regret not having the same breaks as your friends from HS? and also, does this calender make it difficult for summer internships?</p>
<p>Dartmouth does the best job of describing the quarter system and uses it as a real sales tool during campus visits. From what I recall, they felt that it allowed for more internships, time abroad etc, since you were only giving up 10 weeks. Also if you were not enjoying the class, it ended sooner so you could move on. They were the only school I recall that has mandatory times a student must be on campus. It is a very cool program. I know several students at Dartmouth who love the system. I think Stanford and U of Chicago also follow quarters.</p>
<p>i think that NU's quarter system is prob the most rigorous quarter system in the country</p>
<p>UChicago requires only 42 classes to graduate, NU requires 45, D-mouth only is 36 or something like that.</p>
<p>And Chicago is definetely 45, b/c I got in as a freshman there back in the day.</p>
<p>RenMan-- The only time I felt odd not having the same breaks as everybody else was during that summer between high school and college, when my friends were having all kinds of brand new experiences, and I was stuck at home hearing about them for three weeks.</p>
<p>As for internships, NU is aware that its calendar doesn't match up with that of many organizations, so it accomodates students who need to leave early due to an internship, often by allowing them to take exams early. </p>
<p>Also, from my experience, most NU students generally take more than the required 45 courses without even realizing it, because AP credits can replace a number of the distribution requirements (I ended up with 48 or something like that and still graduated a quarter early).</p>
<p>WildLion, the AP credit policy has changed so drastically it will be difficult for it to influence a person THAT greatly. But it's true, APs can help. As for NU being rigorous with its 45 credit policy, I don't find it that rigorous at all. For a single major with NO AP credits, you have 12 quarters to get 45 credits, so you can take 9 quarters of 4 classes (36 credits) and then 3 quarters of 3 classes (makes 45 exactly). If you have APs you get even more quarters of 3 classes. </p>
<p>The QS can also be useful for internships, as you can push it by saying even though you get back later, you'll be around later in the summer when everyone else is already back at school. </p>
<p>I never really cared about the break thing much. Winter you get about a week and a half with other kids in college, and for Spring break it's only a week so it's not terrible to spend it with family and whatnot if most of your friends aren't home. The only part that sucks is when summer's ending and you're ready to get back to school, and all your friends are back at their schools already. I don't mind getting out at the end of the year later, because the weather here is amazing and it's a fun place to be for spring.</p>
<p>Yeah, I remember that they were discussing a cap on APs my senior year, and I think they instituted those changes the year after I left. I don't know the details of the new policy.</p>
<p>Bad:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Not on the same schedule as HS friends.</p></li>
<li><p>Being jealous of some friends' ridiculous schedules with their "Jan terms" where they pretty much do nothing but "hang out".</p></li>
<li><p>Have to take an extra set of finals (or write papers).</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Good:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Don't have to worry about exams/papers over Winter or Spring break.</p></li>
<li><p>Not likely to get bored with a class for a quarter as opposed to a semester.</p></li>
<li><p>One bad grade less likely to mess up one's gpa.</p></li>
<li><p>Can take a much broader variety of courses over one's collegiate career.</p></li>
</ol>