<p>well i guess my "logic is flawed"</p>
<p>but please, lets stick to fact based info rather than "i prefer this, i prefer that" buffoonery. nobody is willing to explain why most top-rate universities (according to carnisale) are on semester system.</p>
<p>"Change to semesters
Prof. Ross Shachter, engineering-economic systems, asked if officials had investigated possible financial savings that might accrue from a change to the semester system. </p>
<p>Prof. Mary Pratt, Spanish and Portuguese and comparative literature, chimed in that many department administrative staff members apparently think a change would save a lot. </p>
<p>The university's third president, Ray Lyman Wilbur, shifted the academic calendar from semesters to quarters in 1917. </p>
<p>In the last decade, the senate turned down a suggestion to change back after lengthy debate in which engineers and scientists largely favored the status quo and humanists supported semesters. Only the Law School now operates on the semester system. </p>
<p>The registrar's office recently estimated savings of about $100,000 to operate on the semester system, Zare said. </p>
<p>Responding to Pratt, Sally Mahoney, acting vice president for student resources, questioned whether savings from the lightened workload could be recovered in individual departments. </p>
<p>The estimated savings do not take into account transition costs, a barrier that makes it "probably not worth the trip," Kennedy said. The decision, however, should be controlled by the faculty, he said."</p>
<p>yet, even stanford considered changing back. <a href="http://www.stanford.edu/dept/news/pr/91/911029Arc1099.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.stanford.edu/dept/news/pr/91/911029Arc1099.html</a></p>
<p><a href="http://senate.osu.edu/Calendar.html%5B/url%5D">http://senate.osu.edu/Calendar.html</a></p>
<p>and osu</p>
<p>well i guess my "logic is flawed"</p>
<p>You like saying that, don't you?</p>
<p>but please, lets stick to fact based info</p>
<p>You're not.... quoting a bunch of people isn't "fact based info" - it is merely their opinion. Obviously, their opinion favors your position, or you wouldn't be posting it. If you want, go ahead and try to find actual facts - like a study that shows that student's grades went up on the semester system, or that they retained more information at the end of the class, etc. I really doubt you'll be able to find such "facts" because, in the end, it really is a preference thing.</p>
<p>fact one: semester system is chaper.</p>
<p>fact two: semester sytem is simpler</p>
<p>fact three: more "top rate universities" operate off semester sytem</p>
<p>fact four: cal, the flagship uc is on semester system</p>
<p>fact five: ucmerced, the newest uc is on semester system</p>
<p>fact six: at a quarter system uc, you cant fully take advantage of the fact you can take more classes you are intereted in b/c of GE requirments</p>
<p>fact seven: top officials from quarter system schools agree that a semester sytem is worth taking a look. some administrators think its better in general. why is that?</p>
<p>fact eight: admininstartors and students agree students have more free time and less stress in the semester system.</p>
<p>if you want a study showing the true benefits of a semester system, im it. i came from the worst implemented quarter system, a uc quarter system. I LEARN MORE ON SEMESTER SYSTEM. I CAN DO MORE THINGS I WANT TO DO ON SEMESTER SYSTEM. MY GPA DID GO UP. need i say more?</p>
<p>MrTrojanMan,</p>
<p>I'm a 2nd-year student who has junior status at a university that uses the quarter system. I came in with AP/college credits where I placed out in half of my GE requirements. Again, how does the quarter system hurt me? </p>
<p>I plan to double-major, and I find it easier to do under a quarter system especially since I got most of my GE requirements out of the way my freshman year. Again, how does the quarter system hurt me?</p>
<p>Schools like Stanford (which is considered the best among the best), UChicago, Northwestern, other UCs (UC provides the best public education system), and other less-well known universities use the quarter system. Again, students still apply to their schools. It seems the quarter system has not been detrimental for them.</p>
<p>The quarter system actually benefits faculty and students: more time to take off from school for internships, study abroad, conferences (faculty love the quarter system for this very reason) and research outside the classroom, and still not fall behind. Some courses that are not made for semester-length can be taught on the quarter system. If the course requires additional material, you can divide it into two-courses on it and still take a different course the third quarter. Again, how has the quarter system hurt me? </p>
<p>Your logic is flawed. The semester and quarter systems both work fine.</p>
<p>tell me something, have you tried the semester system? of course you havent.</p>
<p>remember a vast majority of schools in general are on semester, and stanford is considering the change. </p>
<p>the quarter system does not benefit faculty and students: you dont have more time to take off , they are both 30 wks; nearly all college courses are tailored to semesters, b/c nearly all colleges operate off of semesters so there are probably not many courses out there that are not made for semester length; falling behind on a quarter system is far worse, miss one quarter lecture and you miss the equivalant of 1.5 semester lecture.</p>
<p>if you want to know how the quarter system is hurting you try transfering to semester school. i didint know the difference until i did. i was like you, happy as a clam and blissfully ignorant, thinking i was getting a "normal" education.</p>
<p>if the quarter system was just as good as the semester sytme, uc merced would be on a quarter calander and cal wouldnt have switched.</p>
<p>go ahead, keep dancing.</p>
<p>Maybe their both equally valid. I mean, assuming there are top colleges/universities on both the semester and quarter system, how is it to say either is necessarily better? I doubt many of the people on this board have tried both, and even then, its a matter of person preference as opposed to one of actual fact. If I'm wrong, so be it, but I have a feeling that like many educational alternatives, semesters work better for some people and quarters work better for others.</p>
<p>"Classes at CSUH are offered on the quarter system which consists of 10 weeks of instruction and one week for finals. Students in a quarter system must learn the same amount of class material in a shorter period of time than students studying at a semester campus. Students familiar with the semester system need to adjust to the quarter system. Time management is critical. Keep your first quarter fairly light and seek advice from a professional academic advisor. "</p>
<p>even g-tech switched : <a href="http://www.cyberbuzz.gatech.edu/nique/issues/fall1997/nov21/semester1.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.cyberbuzz.gatech.edu/nique/issues/fall1997/nov21/semester1.html</a></p>
<p>Here at Northwestern, we have 10 weeks of instruction, 1 week to study for finals, another week for final exams. So, I've heard no one stressing over finals to the point of failure when we have an ENTIRE WEEK to study for finals with no classes.</p>
<p>thats not the case with uc's. we have 10 wks of instruction, then straight to finals.</p>
<p>yea in some colleges you don't get an extra week with no classes...</p>
<p>You <em>are</em> using some flawed logic, MrTrojanMan. You substantiate your points with the "majority rules" defense ("a vast majority of schools in general are on semester"), and when that doesn't work, you bring in the fact that a good number of the "top" schools are on the semester system.</p>
<p>I don't understand how your reference to CSUH makes a difference, really; it points out the differences, but doesn't say semesters are better or even that quarters are better. It addresses the fact that a lot of students are more familiar with the semester system and offers a comparison. Just because time management and adjustment are critical doesn't mean that quarters are no good -- that's like saying that it's not worth it to try a hard class because you need to adjust to the different teaching style and have to decide for yourself how to approach the material.</p>
<p>The fact that both quarters and semesters exist is testament to the fact that this is a very subjective issue. I'm still with shakerchick354, Icarus and the others that agree with the idea that it's purely a matter of preference. I think you agree, too. A lot of the points you bring up as facts are really expressed preferences -- you're just arguing that these preferences have more weight because of the people/schools they're attached to.</p>
<p>"You <em>are</em> using some flawed logic, MrTrojanMan. You substantiate your points with the "majority rules" defense ("a vast majority of schools in general are on semester"), and when that doesn't work, you bring in the fact that a good number of the "top" schools are on the semester system."</p>
<p>thats not my only argument. thats not even my main argument. it does raise an interesting question: why.</p>
<p>"The fact that both quarters and semesters exist is testament to the fact that this is a very subjective issue. I'm still with shakerchick354, Icarus and the others that agree with the idea that it's purely a matter of preference. I think you agree, too. A lot of the points you bring up as facts are really expressed preferences -- you're just arguing that these preferences have more weight because of the people/schools they're attached to."</p>
<p>look: i prefer a system that i know is better for me, and that very system would be better for nearly every student for reason that apply to all students: my gpa went up, i have more time, i am less stressed, i learn more, and i can provide specific examples from my expeience shoiwng each of these things. i think those reasons apply to all students. thats why i know the semester system is better, its not just that i prefer it.</p>
<p>most students wont be able to really compare both systems b/c they cant really experience both systems. i already have, so hopefully somebody's reading this and making the right choice, b/c one system is better than the other, and they will prefer the better system. and so will some schools. dont be surprised when (not if) the UC's switch calenders. y'all can babble all you want, i give up.</p>
<p>MrTrojanMan, yes, a better GPA, more time, and less stress is better for everyone, but that's not necessarily going to be the result for everyone from a specific system. I have also been at both semester and quarter schools (two years at the semester school and another two at the quarter school, where I am now). Once I moved to the quarter school, I was able to take one less class a term (more time to fulfill my requirements and take all the classes I was interested in), so I had more time and less stress on the quarter system (my GPA went down, but that's because I went from an unranked university to a top ten school). You are not necessarily every student -- it's just plain arrogant to think that because something was a certain way for you, that it works that way for everyone. There are pros and cons to both systems, and students should decide for themselves what system is better.</p>
<p>one more thing: i dont know where you go, but at a uc you take 4 classes or 16 units a quarter (same as a semester school), that is considered a normal load. and if you took 12 units or 3 classes, you would need to catch up or you wouldnt graduate in 4 yrs.</p>
<p>and if you took 12 units or 3 classes, you would need to catch up or you wouldnt graduate in 4 yrs</p>
<p>thats not true - don't spread lies MTM - your schedule varies a lot quarter to quarter. You wont' always be taking 4 classes, or 3 classes. And you can graduate in just as much time if you take three classes or four. A friend of mine has taken is a third year, and only has a few more classes left to be eligable to graduate, and has switched off between three and four classes.</p>
<p>Actually, I do go to a UC. I take 3 courses per quarter, at 5 units each, for 15 units per quarter, with an end goal of 180 units to graduate with a normal load.</p>
<p>To address some things from your response: I never said your argument was about majority rules or that the top schools were on the semester system; I said you used these points to substantiate your claim that semesters are better, and that they aren't much in the way of 'proof' of anything. The majority can be (and sometimes is) wrong, and I would say cause and effect are a little muddled if you believe the major reason the top universities are at the top because they're on the semester. </p>
<p>I am glad you are happy with your semesters, but I don't think it's fair for you to project universalities on others because of your experience. You may do better on semesters than quarters, but I do better on quarters than semesters. That's the point: it's subjective.</p>
<p>If the UCs do decide to switch systems, fine. I think it would be far less of a hassle to change Berkeley and Merced to quarters than all the rest to semesters, but I can see the financial motivation, and the reason the teachers and staff would support it. I don't think that semesters would be worse than quarters, either -- I just prefer quarters.</p>
<p>"and if you took 12 units or 3 classes, you would need to catch up or you wouldnt graduate in 4 yrs</p>
<p>thats not true - don't spread lies MTM - your schedule varies a lot quarter to quarter. You wont' always be taking 4 classes, or 3 classes. And you can graduate in just as much time if you take three classes or four. A friend of mine has taken is a third year, and only has a few more classes left to be eligable to graduate, and has switched off between three and four classes."</p>
<p>wrong again. lets do the math, suppose i took one 12 unit quarter a yr:</p>
<p>16units+16units+12units=44 units in one academic yr.</p>
<p>44 x 4yrs in college= 176 units total, or one class short</p>
<p>so the most 12 unit qrts you can take is 3, to feasibly graduate in 4 yrs. now, THEORETICALLY you can gradute with 180 units. the TRUTH is that most people end up getting +200 units, b/c ge requiremnets add up a lot and so do all your major requirements and whatever else requirements your UC imposes on you. this is ESPECIALLY true for people who want to switch majors, something a lot of people do. thats without a double major or minor. for a double major, you need 240 (+60, the standard major unit requirement), 210 for minor. werent you double majoring? its hard to get to med school with just a philosophy degree.</p>
<p>consider yourself lucky for going to ucsc. it looks like they just might know what they are doing. you get 5 units, we get 4. it sounds like you guys have it real easy, taking only 3 classes a term. i wouldnt think the unit difference would reflect a more difficult class as one unit is negligible, what i am sure of is that its a lot easier to worry about 3 classes than 4.</p>