<p>I've heard a lot about the advantages of the D Plan - flexibility in when to take breaks, internship opportunities, etc - but not very much about the disadvantages, if there are any.</p>
<p>How many classes do most students take every quarter? What is the grading like? Are there enough grading opportunities each quarter?</p>
<p>The main disadvantages seems to be the disruption and breaks in friendships - but the advantage of a winter internship, sophomore summer seem to balance it out.</p>
<p>3 courses per term (they don’t seem to use the term quarter) is the norm. Courses are rigorous - but there seem to be enough grading opportunities. In lower division courses it is usually two midterms, a final, problem sets (if appropriate) and/or some sort of end of term paper.</p>
<p>The friendships last over breaks & foreign study & internships & so forth. They damn well ought to, or they’re not very solid friendships. The courses are very rigorous, since they meet more often than semester classes do and cram more into a shorter period of time. I’m a big fan of the quarter system. Makes more sense to me to take two or three intensive classes for a shorter period as opposed to five spread out over more weeks. May depend on how you learn.</p>